Leeds housing: Campaign group Acorn calls for all of city's landlords to be licensed by the council

Property owners who let out their homes in the Beeston and Harehills areas are already licensed by the city council. But now, social justice campaign group Acorn Leeds wants the system extended to all rented accommodation in the city.

Acorn says that nearly 200 Beeston and Harehills properties have been found to contain hazards putting tenants at risk, since the local authority brought in a new system in 2019.

Addressing Leeds councillors at a meeting in Civic Hall on Wednesday, the organisation’s chair, Jane Chapman, said: “You need a licence to house dogs but you don’t currently need a licence to house people. We believe licensing landlords is one of the best tools available to local authorities to implement minimum standards on the condition of living in private properties.”

The introduction of selective licensing across nearly 15,000 properties in Beeston and Harehills was opposed by some landlords, who said the £825 charge for a five-year licence was extortionate. The council, however, says the move has given it greater powers to crack down on bad property owners and poor standards.

Ms Chapman told councillors that 188 properties in Beeston and Harehills had been found to contain hazards. She added: “If this is the condition of licensed properties, I ask you today to consider the condition of properties that don’t have a licence.

“Selective landlord licensing has also been found to identify complex social issues such as modern slavery, domestic abuse and poverty. We want to see the licensing system implemented across Leeds but primarily starting in Armley.”

To expand the scheme across the whole city would need government approval. But in Liverpool, the city council has oversight of around 70 per cent of all private rented accommodation, according to Acorn.

In Nottingham, the local authority licences 80 per cent of the sector, while Oxford City Council oversees every single private rented property through the same system. Ms Chapman said: “At just nine per cent in Leeds we’re behind the curve and we can do better if we work together.”