Clause 57 - Licences: general requirements and duration
Housing Bill
4:45 pm
Mr Keith Hill (Minister of State (Housing and Planning), Office of the Deputy Prime Minister; Streatham, Labour)
On the implications of the existence of voluntary schemes, such as accreditation schemes, we expect there to be a transitional regime with allowances made for the fact that there are already properties, which are recognised and known to the local authorities, that have been assessed to a degree. We envisage a transitional process—we may have the opportunity to talk about that in due course. In terms of the hon. Gentleman's example, those are licences for specific properties, therefore one would expect, in the case of the management regime, that the licence would apply for the five-year period.
We expect new properties to come on stream. We are eager to encourage the growth of the private rented sector, of which the sorts of properties that we have discussed, well managed, will be a part. We expect there to be a natural evolution and flow in the delivery of such licences. I hope that that goes some way to satisfying the inquiries of the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings. I ask him to withdraw his amendment.