A North Wales council is set to launch a tenant registration scheme in one of its poorest areas, in a bid to stop rogue landlords.
The scheme would mean all houses in multiple occupation in west Rhyl will be registered with the town hall.

The move is understood to have been prompted by Denbighshire council's frustration with the lack of progress of a government clampdown on rogue landlords.

Former hotels in the seaside resort have been turned into flats for rent, and councillors are concerned about unscrupulous private landlords who do not keep their homes in good shape.

Landlords could pay a registration fee of £60 for each room they let for rent, with a lower rate for holiday flats. The council believes some 270 properties could come under the scheme, which is also being considered for the eastern end of the town.

If the Rhyl scheme proves a success, other towns in Wales with high levels of poor-quality housing rented out to benefit claimants could follow suit.

Denbighshire councillors feel that government legislation for the mandatory licensing of houses in multiple occupation remains too distant a prospect.

Last month Liberal Democrat MP Des Turner withdrew his Home Energy (Conservation) Bill, which required licensing of such houses, citing government opposition as the reason for the withdrawal (HT 25 July, page 8).

Source

Housing Today