Landlords in parts of Preston will have to apply for a licence to rent out their properties – if plans to improve the quality of housing in some areas of the city get the green light.

Preston City Council wants to introduce the rule – in the City Centre, Plungington and St. Matthew’s wards – as part of a pilot for a so-called ‘selective licensing’ scheme.

The authority’s cabinet members have agreed to launch a consultation into the proposal, in an attempt to combat what a report presented to them described as a “decline in standards” in the local private rented sector.

Labour council leader Matthew Brown told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he wanted to ensure tenants in such properties were “treated with dignity”.

A cabinet meeting at which the consultation was approved heard that the “external influences of austerity, the Covid pandemic and…the cost-of-living crisis” had resulted in “under investment” in the dwellings available for rent privately.

A review was carried out late last year by consultants commissioned by the council which found that the private rental sector accounted for 22.4 percent of the housing stock in Preston in 2021 – more than double the eight percent share it had 20 years previously.

That review concluded that only some parts of Preston met the government’s criteria for selective licensing – and the trio chosen for the proposed pilot were picked because it was considered a licence system “would have [the] most impact on the poor conditions in…those wards”.

Ultimately, the scheme could be extended to any other parts of the city where the threshold for licensing has been met, which – as well as concerns over housing quality – include high levels of crime, antisocial behaviour and deprivation.

Licensing enables the council to ensure landlords are subject to criminal record checks and their rental properties meet certain standards - such as having up-to-date fire and gas safety checks, damp proofing and good management practices. Failure to comply with licensing conditions could result in a landlord being fined.

Cllr Brown added that the authority’s aim to improve housing conditions was why it was “seriously considering introducing a landlord licensing scheme in wards where there are high levels of privately rented properties”.

He said: “Housing remains a top priority for our administration and this initiative will add to existing plans to substantially restrict new HMOs [houses of multiple occupation] across the entire urban area of Preston through our new local plan.

“Additionally, we will continue to work through our planning system and with registered providers to increase social and affordable housing numbers.

“The council also remains committed to directly deliver council housing again to benefit residents. We expect to finalise plans to achieve this later in the year.”

The authority will now appoint a consultant to design and undertake the consultation, as required by the legislation governing the introduction of selective licensing schemes.