Agenda item

7.1

Michelle Slater, Service Manager, Private Housing Standards, gave a presentation on Sheffield’s Private Rented Housing Sector which provided an overview of this sector in Sheffield, highlighted the changing views involved, outlined issues for consideration, provided details of Council actions and celebrated some of the successes.  The presentation was supported by a handout which was circulated to the Committee.

7.2

Members made various comments and asked a number of questions, to which responses were provided as follows:-

·                     The Council has established good contacts with the two landlord associations in the City which covered a large part of the private sector.  There was not a lot of contact with letting agents apart from where problems arose.  The focus was on developing relationships with landlords rather than letting agents and it should be noted that letting agents were not yet regulated.

·                     The importance of the work being undertaken by Council staff in this area had been recognised by the Courts as two custodial sentences had been imposed on landlords in the past year.  It was felt that the Courts now had a better understanding of this work but problems were being experienced in recovering the Court costs of taking prosecutions.

·                     There were 8,000 houses in multiple occupation in the City, with about three quarters of these being occupied by students.  Such properties containing five or more people needed to be licensed with the Council.  The SNUG Partnership between the Council, the Sheffield Hallam University and the Hallam Union was aimed at improving the quality of student properties, with the Hallam University not accepting properties for their students unless they were registered with this partnership.  The University of Sheffield had its own inspection regime but it didn’t regulate up to minimum legislative standards.  Student houses comprised one third of the private rented sector in Sheffield and one tenth of customer referrals were from students.  SNUG properties were inspected by the Council and, once a property had been passed as being up to standard, it enabled officers to look at properties which were of more concern.

·                     It was noticeable that landlords had had to improve their standards due to the new modern blocks of flats which had been built in the City.  The Council inspectors had a good picture of what was happening, with the aim being to eliminate the poor landlords and substandard properties from the market.

·                     25% of referrals resulted in an ongoing case but most could be rectified almost immediately. 

·                     Inspectors would pick up on tenants who were in difficulties, for instance with Housing Benefits.  Where anti-social behaviour or cultural issues were a problem, the Council would negotiate with the landlords.

·                     The Council would not normally get involved where people were renting out bedrooms in their own houses unless these were student related.

7.3

RESOLVED: That the Committee:-

(a)       thanks Michelle Slater for her contribution to the meeting;

(b)       notes the contents of the presentation and the responses to  questions; and

(c)        requests that a report on the introduction of Selective Licensing in the Private Rented Sector be presented to the Committee in December 2014.