Landlord slams council for 'unfair' approach to licensing fees

Benefits landlord Mick Roberts has slammed Nottingham Council for its inflexible stance on licensing fees for homes that landlords are trying to sell.

Roberts argues that he should be exempt from paying the selective licensing fee on his 11 properties that are on the market as he wants to protect his tenants.

He hopes to sell them in situ to landlords who are prepared to keep tenants on lower-than-average rents and has already reduced the asking price by up to £20,000 on each property in a bid to find the right buyer.

“They give you a few months exemption, but I need more time for some of them – one has a hoarder living there, so it’s hard to get valued, and one older lady has been with me for 22 years,” he tells LandlordZONE.

“I might as well evict them and sell them empty – but I don’t want to do that as I have a duty to them. Many have lived there for years.”

Licence costs

Roberts explains that he has already paid £400 for each licence last year but has pushed back against the authority’s demand for the second payment. “It’s not a massive amount, but it’s the principle. I know I’ll have to pay it, but it’s a waste of money.”

He believes the issue is particularly timely as Nottingham Council has reported that more than 400 people applied to join its council house register every month in the first quarter of the year, with the numbers on the waiting list now surpassing 11,000 people in the city alone - the highest figure in ten years.

“The council is inflexible and shows no common sense to keep tenants safe. Instead, it will follow the rules and watch homeless numbers grow,” Roberts adds.

LandlordZONE has approached Nottingham Council for comment.

Read more about Mick Roberts.