Tenants are being urged to join up with private landlords in fighting Liverpool Council's proposed licensing scheme as both will suffer if their new fees are passed. A landlord's association is warning that if the "costly measures" are imposed then rents will have to be raised and it could even mean that private rental properties will start to vanish from the city.

The "call to arms" for both sides to work together is because Liverpool City Council started consultations on their proposal for all landlords to be required to join a licensing scheme.

The landlords could be facing a charge of £500 for each of their properties that are being rented out within the council's boundaries. Ultimately the tenants will have to incur the costs through higher rents and continued investment into housing will significantly decrease.

The organisation has said the costs could become crippling for any landlords who have a portfolio of properties and that they could be charged many thousands of pounds.

They say that the introduction of such costly measures will "see the introduction of burdensome rules which will not improve the housing stock and landlords will be expected to control visitors to properties as well as manage anti-social behaviour".

Tom Reynolds, the Liverpool representative for the organisation feels that the council is acting surreptitiously by not broadcasting their plans of the consultation.

He said: “There is clearly a strong desire to push through these proposals but the council has not done enough to make landlords or tenants aware that the consultation is live and that they can have their say.

"We’ve only just discovered the consultation is now open even though it began more than a week ago.

“There is a lack of any clear rationale of how licensing landlords will improve the issue of depopulation in Liverpool and make the area more attractive in the future.

“Far from having this intended effect, it will actually make investing in properties in Liverpool a less attractive prospect for landlords and will only serve to decrease the amount of affordable housing in Liverpool.

"Furthermore, it will mean increases in rents as the rising costs of housing provision are transferred onto tenants in the area."