Gavin Mackintosh-
Coventry Council is making its tenants homeless with a controversial new licensing scheme to be introduced by Coventry City Council commencing on May 4th, The Eye Of Media.Com has heard.
Wide outrage in coventry against the council’s move has led to a call for Coventry Council to be held to account, with aggrieved individuals turning to social media to criticise the council. New legislation from Coventry Council on houses in multiple occupation due to come into force in Coventry on May 4 has began to shake tenants and landlords up.
The introduction of an Additional Licensing Scheme in Coventry imposes a licensee fee of up to £1200 on landlords with an HMO Licence, despite contractual ties with tenants at market rental rates. The new Additional Licensing scheme will require owners of all homes occupied by three or four persons from two or more households to pay between £640 for a five-year licence for a compliant landlord, or £1,250 for non-compliant landlords.
Cynics of the scheme accuse Coventry Council of introducing the scheme in May knowing that most student landlords cannot pull out of student HMO lettings until July, when the students return home. It is seen as a way of forcing students out of their rented accommodation or forcing landlords to pay the licensee fee. Meanwhile a number of University students who are disgruntled with the abrupt end to their class attendance have returned home and refused to continue with rent payments, despite online lessons prepared by lecturers.
National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) which believes the move goes against government guidelines. Government guidelines states:
” where the property is currently occupied, we encourage all parties to do all they can to amicably agree alternative dates to move, for a time when it is likely that stay-at-home measures against coronavirus (COVID-19) will no longer be in place. On the eviction of tenants, government advice strongly says that:
”landlords not to commence or continue possession proceedings during this challenging time without a very good reason to do so.
Coventry Council was contacted for comment.