New help proposed for tenants in Wirral
A new program to improve privately rented properties and proposed changes to help people seeking social and affordable housing are on the agenda when councillors meet this month.
Members of Wirral Council’s Economy, Regeneration and Housing Committee will be presented proposals to make changes to the Property Pool Plus (PPP) Housing Allocations Scheme, as well as a proposed new selective licensing scheme to protect tenants in key areas of the borough.
The proposals include powers for Wirral Council to protect tenants in private accommodation across certain locations from poor landlords, plus improvements for those seeking social rented housing.
The Property Pool Plus (PPP) Housing Allocations Scheme operates across the council areas of Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, and Wirral and has been in place since July 2012.
It helps people seeking social and affordable housing to register on-line and applicants are required to meet a range of eligibility and qualification criteria relating to issues such as immigration status, local connection, previous tenancy conduct, acceptable behaviour, home ownership and savings.
The proposed changes to the Scheme are intended to assist the Councils’ homelessness teams to better manage the demand on homelessness services and the associated temporary accommodation costs.
There would also be changes to allow extra discretion to deal with cases that have an exceptional urgent welfare need and require intervention to assist with re-housing more quickly than can be facilitated via the current policy. Also proposed is a reintroduction of a 5% cross boundary mobility cap to allow council’s extra powers to give their existing residents accommodation in their area.
A second report follows consultation carried out to re-designate a Selective Licensing Scheme in two of the areas introduced in October 2020, reintroducing it into two further areas plus designating two new areas of the Borough. Selective Licensing gives the council powers to crack down on rogue landlords and protect tenants.
The consultation on the proposal agreed by Members in December 2024 received the highest ever number of completed questionnaires of any consultation held on proposals to introduce Selective Licensing in Wirral. The majority (79.4%) of respondents either strongly agreed or agreed with selective licensing proposals compared to 12% who either strongly disagree or disagreed.
Based on the consultation and the evidence used for the Business Case, Members will be asked to approve the designation of Wirral’s Selective Licensing Scheme (Scheme 5) for all tenanted private rented properties within these six designated areas of Birkenhead Central, Egremont South, Hamilton Square B, Lower Tranmere, Tranmere Lairds and Tranmere North.
If approved the Selective Licensing designation for the above six areas shall commence on 1st October 2025 and last until 30th September 2030.
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.
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.
The meeting of the Economy, Regeneration and Housing Committee will take place on June 17. The agenda with documents for the meeting is available on the council website, which gives a link to allow the meeting to be viewed online as it takes place and/or streamed afterward.
