Purpose

Selective
Licensing schemes require any private landlords operating in a
designated area to obtain a licence in respect of their rental
properties, and demonstrate that they meet required standards in
relation to property safety and compliance. Such schemes are
typically introduced in areas where the local Private Rented Sector
(PRS) is particularly poorly managed, and where there are
associated issues such as poor housing conditions, high levels of
deprivation, ASB and crime.

There are no Selective Licensing Schemes currently in
operation in Wigan. The Council are starting to reconsider the
position on this as part of our wider efforts to improve the
quality and management of the local PRS, and have commenced work on
an options appraisal to determine if Selective Licensing would be
an appropriate measure, and if so, where in the Borough it should
be applied. This report to Cabinet sets out our planned approach to
assessing the need for such for such a scheme, the key
considerations, and potential routes to
implementation.