Liverpool City Council is set to begin consultation on continuing its Landlord Licensing scheme for another five years. More than 48,500 licences have been granted to the owners of privately rented properties since April 2015, and the Council said that it has delivered huge benefits for tenants and people living in the neighbourhood in driving up the standards of properties.

Almost 20,000 compliance checks have been carried out, with 70% of properties inspected having issues that needed tackling such as health and safety hazards including electrical and heating problems.

The local authority has issued over 2,000 legal notices, 89 fixed penalty notices and successfully prosecuted 154 landlords. In addition, 11 cases have been brought for health and safety and action taken against 29 unlicensed HMOs (Houses of Multiple Occupation).

Nationally, figures show that Liverpool alone is responsible for 389% of the 460% national rise in prosecutions between 2012 and 2018. Targeted enforcement has been carried out in around a dozen areas of the city, with officers from the Landlord Licensing team working alongside street scene staff, Merseyside Police, Mersey Fire and Rescue Service and other partners to identify unlicensed properties and associated issues such as disrepair and anti-social behaviour.