A selective landlord licensing scheme for a deprived Great Yarmouth ward that aims to root out unethical and rogue landlords has been deemed successful.
An update on the Selective Licensing Scheme - which aims to tackle poor housing, antisocial behaviour, and crime in Nelson Ward - was given at Thursday's Great Yarmouth Borough Council's Housing and Neighbourhoods Committee meeting.
The five-year scheme requires landlords of most privately rented housing to be licensed and meet conditions around health and safety standards.
At the committee meeting, the scheme was called a success that "has delivered significant outcomes and improvements for the residents" of the area. The venture was also recommended to be introduced in other areas of the town.
There are currently 1518 properties licenced in the Nelson Ward. Each property is subject to three inspections over the five-year licensing period.
During the first round of inspections, over 4,362 issues were identified, with almost three-quarters of inspected properties (73pc) having at least one high-priority concern.
Lack of carbon monoxide detectors, dampness and mould and poorly working windows were the top three hazards identified during this round of inspections.
In the second inspection round, high-risk issues had halved, and there had been a 42pc drop in medium concerns.
Damp and mould, poorly working windows and insufficient electricity installation were among the three most common issues logged in the second round of inspections.
READ MORE: Nearly 8,000 homes in borough plunged into fuel poverty
The Selective Licensing report stated: "Good landlords have worked well under the licensing scheme to improve the standard of their accommodation."
However, there were still some landlords and letting agents not involved in the scheme, and the council was focusing on getting them on board.
The existing scheme, which is currently set to operate until January 2024, was recommended to continue. A plan to introduce the venture in the Southtown and Cobholm, and Central and Northgate Wards was also discussed at the meeting.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here