Landlord Licensing

Overview

Access to decent affordable housing is essential to support good health and wellbeing and a good quality of life. Ongoing pressures within the housing market mean that for many, including a rising proportion of families, the only chance of a decent home is a private rented tenancy. 

Leicester City Council has an ambition to ensure the Private Rented Sector (PRS) in Leicester is fit for purpose and a key part of that is to ensure the council raises housing standards in the sector.

To help drive up standards in the private rented sector the city council has developed a Private Rented Sector Strategy. The overall objective of the Strategy is to have a holistic approach that ensures tenants and landlords are appropriately supported and engaged. 

The Strategy is designed to work with all aspects of the sector with a core focus on retaining and improving the council’s ability to protect tenants’ safety and rights, and tackle rogue/poor landlords.

Maximising this, whilst maintaining a balanced, fair, and proportionate approach, will ultimately lead to the raising of housing standards within the sector.

A key part of the Strategy includes extending the council's powers by the introduction of a Discretionary PRS Licencing scheme (Additional and/or Selective Licensing). 

The proposed schemes will support a balanced housing market which in turn will support sustainable communities, facilitate social and environmental improvement, and promote economic resilience and growth in Leicester. 

Driving up standards in the PRS seeks to protect the council’s most vulnerable residents.

In addition to this, we have recently re-launched our private rented sector incentive scheme and will incorporate decisions resulting from our recent Local Plan (which will adopt national space standards) and a potential extension of the Article 4 Directive which considers the concentration of HMOs in specific areas (consultation closed 13 Janaury 2022). Each of these will play an important role in the strategy, and will contribute to improved standards in the sector and better neighbourhoods.

Online Q&A sessions

Leicester City Council will be hosting three virtual drop-in sessions to answer questions people may have about the proposed licensing scheme.

Each of the sessions will take place online via Teams. Click a link below to join a session:

• Tuesday 15 February (2-3pm)
• Thursday 17 February (10-11am)
• Friday 18 February (12noon-1pm)