Hartlepool’s Proposed Landlord Licensing Scheme: A Disaster in the Making...

Proposals are set to go before a full meeting of Hartlepool Borough Council paving the way for the potential introduction of controversial Landlord Licensing Scheme in Hartlepool, with critics claiming similar schemes have been tried, tested.... & failed !

20th Feb 2025

Hartlepool Borough Council's once again being accused of preferring 'heavy-handed regulation' over real solutions, where, As part of its upcoming budget, the council is set to announce the first step towards implementing a controversial landlord licensing scheme that would force private landlords to obtain a licence before renting out their properties, imposing extra conditions and a further layer of bureaucracy in the name of “improving housing standards.”

Landlord Licensing: A Proven Failure....

Areas such as Elliott Street In Hartlepool are in such levels of disrepair critics claim it would be cheaper to demolish the street for regeneration.

Councillor Karen Oliver, Labour Chair of the the councils Neighbourhood Services Committee, claims the scheme is in response to concerns raised in the council’s “Big Conversation” consultation. But critics claim Hartlepool’s now Labour council leadership should take a long hard look at what happened when County Durham introduced a similar scheme, with Durham’s landlord licensing experiment branded 'an abysmal failure', with the policy only serving to Drive up rents in the area, as landlords then passed the cost of hefty licensing fees onto tenants,.

The move has reportedly led to a large proportion of responsible landlords in County Durham selling up their property portfolios, reducing the number of available rental properties available with critics claiming the scheme has failed to do anything to tackle bad landlords, as rogue landlords simply ignored the rules whilst compliant landlords were left to shoulder the financial burden.

Critics claim the 'numbered streets' in Horden County Durham should be evidence enough that Landlord licensing has failed to tackle the issues of poor housing & rogue landlords

One member of the public HBC Exposed spoke to this week, who owns eight properties in the town said : Look at Durhams Licensing Scheme for Landlord's Did it improve housing quality? No. Did it reduce the number of rogue landlords? Not at all. All it did was create another layer of costly red tape that made life harder for both landlords and tenants.

Higher Rents, Fewer Homes, Equals an even Bigger Crisis

Hartlepool, like much of the UK, is already facing a private sector housing crisis, where a severe shortage of quality private rental properties is evident. With many tenants now said to be struggling to find affordable housing in the area, Hartlepool Borough Councils latest initiative is only set to make things even harder for responsible landlords to operate, with many tenants said to be fearful that the controversial scheme will lead to increased rents, as landlords will be forced to pass the licensing costs straight onto their tenants shoulders, as well as discouraging responsible landlords to invest in homes in the area for rent, worsening the housing shortage.

Those opposed to the scheme agree that Hartlepool needs more housing for renters, not fewer landlords, where If the council truly wanted to improve housing standards, its claimed they should focus more on cracking down on problem landlords directly through enforcement powers they already have, rather than punishing responsible property owners with yet another tax disguised as a "licence fee."

A Smokescreen for More Council Power?

There’s also another angle to this—council overreach. Licensing schemes are a lucrative income generator for some local councils, despite questions over their effectiveness, allowing councils to collect fees from landlords whilst expanding their own bureaucracy and red tape in the process, with the controversial scheme being proposed by Hartlepool Borough Council said to be just another way for the council to squeeze yet more money out of the private sector, whilst pretending to act in the public interest.

Don't repeat Durham County Councils Failures...

Many claim Landlord Licensing has made matters worse in County Durham.... Not Better !

You dont have to go far around some of the streets of County Durham to see that Landlord licensing has clearly failed in County Durham, and it will fail in Hartlepool.

Instead of making it harder to rent out homes, Hartlepool Borough Council should be working to encourage investment in housing, supporting responsible landlords, and targeting the real problem landlords with swift and effective enforcement action, with many saying that Hartlepool Borough Council needs to stop pretending this is about “improving housing” and admit that this is just another money-grabbing scheme that will ultimately leave tenants worse off.

What do you think ?

Will Landlord Licensing drive up property standards for tenants ?

• YES
• NO