Doncaster follow mandatory licensing path

The domino effect gathers pace, as councils cotton on to the vote winning and revenue raising concept of mandatory landlords licensing. Two positives that council can rarely marry. Win, win! If I ran a council, I'd go for it.

Doncaster Council is the next one to join the list.They are now consulting on licensing in the Hexthorpe area. A twelve week consolation period bass just started, with a proposed starting date in December.

The council proposes landlords will be charged £500 for the five year licence.

The consultation started this week and will take 12 weeks. If it is approved - and in most recent cases involving local authorities the original proposals have been rubber-stamped after consultation - the new regime will begin in December.

Alongside the usual legal requirements, the licence will require a landlord to meet certain timescales for repairs and meet set guidelines for security, management and the external appearance of the rental property.

Failure to obtain a licence could get a landlord a fine of £20,000, or failure to meet a standard could result in a maximum £5,000 for each failed compliance.

Let us sit back with a cup of tea and wonder at the magnificence of an idea's impurity.