A landlords’ group has welcomed changes to Great Yarmouth’s selective licensing scheme but warned tenants will still bear the cost.

The association had opposed the council’s original plan, which set fees at £784 per property and required four inspections a year across 5,000 homes.

After pressure from the association the licence fee has been cut to £694 and inspections reduced to twice annually.

Despite the concessions, the organisation argues the scheme will drive up rents and is campaigning to raise awareness of the impact on landlords and tenants, while advising members how to prepare.

The association has launched a campaign to draw attention to the problems created by selective licensing and to advise landlords on how best to prepare for the scheme.

Although the council insists selective licensing will raise housing standards and address overcrowding and health risks, association argues the policy will shrink supply and push rents higher.

It has opposed the scheme from the outset and campaigned for concessions on behalf of landlords.

And also contends that selective licensing misdirects resources, drawing attention away from targeted enforcement measures that could deliver genuine improvements in housing quality.

The Director of the group, says: “While Great Yarmouth’s concessions are a step in the right direction, selective licensing is still a blunt instrument. It risks increasing costs that end up affecting tenants without reliably raising standards.

“We’ll keep working constructively with the council, but we will also continue to oppose the scheme and push for smarter, targeted enforcement that protects tenants.”

The association has unveiled a call-to-action campaign aimed at supporting landlords ahead of the scheme’s rollout next year.

Scheduled to begin in April, the scheme will apply to properties in Nelson Ward, Central and Northgate Ward, Southtown and Cobholm Ward, as well as eight streets in Yarmouth’s North Ward.

Meanwhile, landlords in Stockton have voiced strong opposition to a separate selective licensing programme, dismissing it as “a total waste of time and a joke.”