Blackburn Rental Licensing Plan Abandoned After Housing Improvement

Hey, listen to this news! The council won’t require licenses for rental homes. This affects the Hollins Bank area. Landlords would have paid £724 every five years. This decision follows a consultation from last summer.

The area is near Blackburn’s center and includes Ewood, Mill Hill, and Moorgate wards, also part of the Central ward. Councillor Mahmood chose not to proceed after the consultation and monitors the area for improvement now.

He postponed the licensing area, citing the changing housing market and aiming to align with Blackburn’s housing strategy. Licenses ensure safe, standard properties that managers handle well.

In 2022, the council saw problems affecting private rentals in Mill Hill and Ewood. The council wanted to fix the issues there, noticing many empty properties and high tenant turnover along with fly-tipping, dumping, and antisocial actions.

The area had low property demand, quick private rental tenant turnover, and low property sale values. 1,153 rentals would have needed licenses, but landlords disliked the proposed fees.

Landlords questioned where the license fees would go, wanting support and resources. Some questioned the data on low demand for rentals, thinking the data was old.

Increased market demand improved things. High housing demand made rentals popular, and empty property numbers are decreasing. The council helps bring homes back into use.

The license fee could hurt tenants because landlords might increase rents to cover costs, or some might choose to sell their properties, impacting renters even more.