Liverpool City Council’s new landlord licensing scheme, which runs until April 2027, is based on poor property conditions, targeting the 16 wards in the city where at least one in five homes is owned by a private landlord. 

Around 45,000 of the 55,000 properties in the original city-wide scheme - which ran from 2015-2020 – are covered, giving the council additional powers to drive up standards and keep vulnerable tenants safe, such as tackling fire and electrical safety hazards, excess cold and damp and prevent and tackle anti-social behaviour. 

The wards included are: Central, Riverside, Greenbank, Kensington, Picton, Tuebrook & Stoneycroft, County, Anfield, St Michael’s, Princes Park, Kirkdale, Old Swan, Warbreck, Wavertree, Fazakerley and Everton. 

Landlords signing up before the end of June 2022 will benefit from an ‘early bird’ discount that will take the total cost of a five year licence down to £380 per property, rather than £550. 

A discount will be extended to landlords who are new to the rental market if they apply for a licence before the property is tenanted, or for those who buy a property with a tenant in situ within 14 days of the completion of purchase.