Dozens of households in Blackpool have been helped to avoid homelessness during the first 18 months of Blackpool Council’s Selective Licensing scheme, which provides housing, health and financial advice to tenants, including older residents, vulnerable adults and young families.
Blackpool Council’s Inner Area Selective Licensing scheme is intended to improve the standard of housing and neighbourhoods across eight wards.
Hundreds of households within these areas – Bloomfield, Brunswick, Claremont, Talbot, Tyldesley, Warbreck, Waterloo and Victoria – have been helped since the scheme was launched, receiving a range of support services.
Of these, more than one-in-ten have avoided becoming homeless as a direct result. Council teams have helped tenants to manage rent arrears or resolve disputes with landlords or neighbours that had risked eviction notices.
The housing support team has helped 242 households to date, identifying needs off the back of home visits or property inspections, or tenants self-referring. This has included:
137 households struggling with the cost of living. The council offer everything from support to register for Universal Credit - for long-term stability - or food vouchers for supermarkets - to plug a short-term need.
103 people needing housing advice. The council’s team have managed housing options queries for people seeking bigger homes, resolved issues with landlords, including to manage rent arrears, and also informed tenants about the new Renters Rights Act.
67 households receiving money advice or debt support.
24 households needing health related support. The team supported with referrals into mental health services or physical health services, such as getting residents a gym membership or helping older tenants to get GP appointments.
19 households being referred for employment support, work programmes, or volunteering opportunities.
Of these cases, 233 are already resolved, including:
A gentleman with Alzheimer’s living in a damp and mouldy flat who was supported to agree a programme of essential repair works with his landlord.
A man with mental health problems was supported to avoid being evicted for rent arrears.
A woman who was being financially exploited was supported to regain her independence.
A dad threatened with eviction was supported to avoid becoming homeless.
Cllr Dave Flanagan, cabinet member for housing, said:
“This Selective Licensing scheme is just one of many ways we’re seeking to improving housing and people’s lives in Blackpool. Good housing is intrinsically linked to better health, employment and educational outcomes, giving people foundations they can flourish from. As these figures show, the scheme has allowed us to offer support to hundreds of people in need, many of whom didn’t know they were eligible, or didn’t feel able to ask, for help from services.
“The team have made a huge difference to the lives on tenants living across the Inner Area. They’ve made urgent referrals to colleagues in Adult Social Care, stopped people from becoming homeless, or just offered a friendly face and reassured someone that they’re not alone.
“The stories of people we’ve helped show the clear benefits to tenants, and that of course has a knock-on positive effect for landlords, too – they then have happier tenants and more stable tenancies. We’re doing all that we can to support good landlords and tackle bad landlords, and the work of our housing support team …”
What is selective licensing?
Selective licensing aims to improve standards in an area by addressing the poor management of some private landlords and the poor property conditions they offer.
Any house, flat or room rented out within the private rented sector within the designated area requires a license, subject to some exemptions.
Landlords must adhere to a number of licence conditions around property management, tenancy management, fire safety and anti-social behaviour, all designed to provide a good standard of living conditions.
The standard licence fee for a single dwelling is £772 for the five-year period of the scheme. Fees go back into running the scheme, including funding property inspections, to improve housing standards, and housing support workers, to offer a range of social, health-related and financial guidance to tenants. No profit is generated for the council as a result of the scheme.
The Inner Area Selective Licensing Scheme is Blackpool’s fourth licensing scheme for rental properties. Additional Licensing schemes in South Shore, Claremont and Central helped to reduce crime rates by more than half. In South Shore, criminal incidents dropped from 720 to 333 year-on-year (2012-13).
Landlords with properties within the eight designated wards should apply for a licence via: www.blackpool.gov.uk/selectivelicensing
Tenants who want to learn more about their rights as a private tenant can visit: Information for tenants living in private rented homes