Birmingham city council has been given the ‘thumbs-up’ by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to introduce a gargantuan Selective Licensing scheme for all 25 wards of the city’s private rented properties.

The council has owned up to fact that it will need to create a 130 work taskforce to successfully run the scheme targeting wards that have more than one in five properties privately rented, and areas which are classed as deprived with high crime rates.

The new licensing scheme will be the UK’s biggest ever covering up to 50,000 properties in the city coming into force next year on June 5th next for a five year term.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness, councillor Sharon Thompson, says: “The new scheme will help us drive up standards across the private rented sector. It was approved after extensive consultation and 130 new jobs will be created to deliver the scheme.

“We want to ensure that private properties in our poorest wards are providing fit and proper accommodation and that landlords are adhering to their legal responsibilities. While many already do, the introduction of licence conditions that cover a range issues including waste bins, references and tackling anti-social behaviour will ensure the council is in a position to engage and regulate this sector appropriately.

“The Selective Licensing Scheme will allow Birmingham Council to work with all landlords to drive up standards across all private rented sector properties and join up with other services such as the police to tackle issues such as the high levels of crime that have blighted these wards for too long. Improving standards in the longer term will lead to safer and more stable communities, enabling more tenants to fulfil their potential especially children.”

The authority ‘boasts’  of holding a large scale consultation process prior to asking for government permission including councillor meetings, focus groups as well as funding a massive 125,000 PRS’ properties flyer drop across the 25 wards.

However it has been revealed that in spite of the council’s efforts it has only received 800 responses from residents, renters, organisations, businesses and of course landlords in the targeted wards.

The council states there was “significant support for the scheme from residents and businesses/organisations.”