Property improvements on Stapleton Road

stgeorge&redfieldvoice

January, 2019

Property improvements on Stapleton Road

BRISTOL City Council is claiming almost 850 rented properties in the Stapleton Road area have been improved thanks to their property licensing scheme.

The discretionary licensing scheme, which aims to improve housing standards and the management of privately rented properties, began in April 2013 and lasted five years. Licensing is proactive and enables Bristol City Council officers to inspect every private rented property in the scheme area to check conditions and take action where housing and management standards are not met.

Of the properties inspected, over a quarter (27%) were found to have serious

health and safety hazards and 70% of properties required works to be carried out to meet licence conditions. In addition 68% of the licensed houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) were found to have had management regulation breaches.

The majority of landlords worked with the council to bring their properties up to the required standard. The Council deemed it necessary, however, to take enforcement action in a significant number of cases. This resulted in 665 legal notices being served on landlords. Ten landlords were also prosecuted for a total of 37 offences relating to the licensing. Cllr Paul Smith, Bristol's Cabinet

member for Housing said: "The Stapleton Road licensing scheme was the first area based property licensing scheme in Bristol and has proved to be a great success in proactively targeting a specific area to improve the housing standards and conditions for tenants. The lessons learned from this pilot scheme will be used in any future proposals brought forward for property licensing in the city".

A second property licensing scheme is currently operating in parts of Eastville and St George, and residents, landlords and tenants are currently being consulted on a further area covering 12 wards in the central area of Bristol.