Does Selective Licensing work?
Rotherham had four Selective Licensing areas between 2015 to 2020 and six further declarations between 2020 to 2025, covering some of the same areas. The initial failure rate (not meeting the legal minimum standards) of properties in the 2015 scheme was over 90%, in the most recent scheme the failure rate on initial inspection ranged from over 80% to below 50% in Maltby.
The much lower failure rate in Maltby has allowed the council to remove one area from future proposals, as landlords have maintained and improved conditions in the area. This is reflected in an improving housing market in the area. This is a testament to the local landlords and a successful outcome from two periods of Selective Licensing.
During the 2020 to 2025 scheme over 2100 properties have been inspected and over 7800 hazards have been identified and removed by agreement or enforcement. The scheme allows us to safeguard the families living in these homes and improving their general wellbeing.
Over 1100 enforcement notices have had to be served, to ensure residents and landlords control their waste, gardens and to stop anti-social behaviour. Without Selective Licensing the council would not have been able to proactively identify these issues and resolve them.
This has benefited tenants with non-responsive landlords, landlords with difficult tenants and neighbours. It has also improved living conditions for all those living in the Selective Licensing areas.