New powers which will give Liverpool City Council the ability to hit rogue landlords with fines of up to £30,000 are set to be approved.

The Cabinet is being asked to adopt new powers under the Housing and Planning Act to impose civil penalties on private sector landlords where properties are unsafe or dangerous, without having to resort to court action.

It is the latest in a raft of measures introduced to drive up the quality and standard of private sector rented properties in the city, which now accounts for around 30% of homes. 

In 2016, the city council received over 3,500 complaints about properties - with the majority about the private rented sector. Liverpool is the only city in the country to operate a Landlord Licensing scheme – introduced in 2015 - which lays out standards that the private rented sector must meet, and gives tenants an expectation of their rights.

A further 1,300 Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) properties are subject to the separate Mandatory Licensing Scheme and will also be covered.

The new powers will enable the council to take action against breaches of Landlord and HMO licences, plus for overcrowding and failing to comply with an improvement notice.