Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason his Department did not extend the landlord licensing scheme in Liverpool; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure the protection of tenants in the private rental sector in (a) Liverpool West Derby constituency and (b) Liverpool.

Liverpool City Council made an application for selective licensing under the condition of low housing demand across the whole city.

The evidence provided by the local authority was carefully considered against all the relevant statutory conditions, including those contained within section 80(4) of the Housing Act 2004. The application did not meet the statutory tests because it did not sufficiently evidence the existence of low housing demand in every ward in the city, nor that every ward in the city would become an area of low housing demand. Selective licensing is part of wider robust enforcement powers available to councils to protect vulnerable tenants, tackle rogue landlords and support responsible landlords in the private rented sector, including civil penalties and banning orders for the most serious offences.