Don’t miss your chance to have a say on new selective licensing

Time is running out to give your views on proposals to extend the use of Selective Licensing and bring in new powers to crack down on rogue landlords in Wirral. 

Wirral Council is currently consulting on designating six areas for selective licensing for a period of five years and there's just a few weeks left to take part. The proposed areas are:  

• two are new areas (Lower Tranmere and Tranmere North); 
• two existing Selective Licensing areas which are due to end on September 30 2025 (Tranmere Lairds and Egremont South); 
• a former Selective Licensing area (Birkenhead Central);  
• the scheme reintroduced to part of a former Selective Licensing area (Hamilton Square B). 

Selective Licensing requires landlords in specific areas to have a licence to operate and comply with a range of licence conditions. 

There are around 27,000 privately rented properties in Wirral and the sector is vital in meeting the borough’s housing needs, so it is important that what is on offer is of high quality.  

The schemes are focused on areas where there is a higher-than-average number of private rented housing available, having a higher turnover of tenants and poorer property conditions. 

Wirral introduced its first Selective Licensing Scheme in the borough on 1st July 2015 in four areas. Selective licensing currently operates in 10 different areas.  

Although many landlords operate professionally, the Council remains concerned about a number of landlords who rent properties that fail to meet satisfactory standards. The vast majority of landlords are responsible and this is not about them. 

The statutory consultation follows a decision by members of the Economy, Regeneration and Housing Committee at their meeting on Wednesday December 4 to put forward the designation of six areas for a period of five years. 

To take part in the consultation visit our HaveYourSay website here. This consultation is open to midnight on 9 March 2025.

As part of the consultation, residents will also be asked their views on a range of new policies and procedures relating to powers to regulate private landlords who fail their tenants including amongst others banning orders, use of the national rogue landlord database and rent repayment orders. 

Once designated it is a criminal offence to let a privately rented property in a Selective Licensing Area without a licence; and failure to have a license, or a breach of the license conditions, can lead to prosecution and to an unlimited fine or the Council can impose a Civil Penalty.