In a recent Court Case, involving Landlord Paul Brown, the Court of Appeal has ruled that Councils are not allowed to use selective licensing conditions to impose conditions on rented homes.
Hyndburn Council tried to make landlords carry out electrical safety checks and force the installation of carbon monoxide detectors.
The landlord was supported by the Residential Landlords Association and, although he carried out the Council requirements, he argued that the imposition of these conditions went beyond the local authority power. It was argued that both electrical and gas issues were best addressed by Councils using the powers they already had under the Housing, Health and Safety Rating System.
The Court of Appeal agreed with Brown and full details can be found here.