The selective licensing scheme will cover single household PRS properties in 25 of the city's wards and the additional licensing scheme will cover all smaller HMO properties (3 to 4 occupants) in the city.

The Bill will be published today and will likely go before Parliament after Prime Minister's Questions has concluded.

Welwyn Hatfield Council imposed the fine in October 2021 as the landlord had failed to declare his status as a letting agent and had also failed to be a member of a government approved property redress scheme.

Postponed last week due to alleged 'procedural issues' this major piece of legislative reform of the private rented sector is now set to be put before Parliament this week.

The cellar at the property had been converted into a basement flat without planning permission and the fire broke out in June 2019 with the tenant dying from his injuries 10 days later.

West Northamptonshire Council's successful prosecution of the landlord followed an investigation by it's private sector housing team.

The two year partnership will see Lloyds Bank, through fundraising, support Crisis in developing and setting up the new letting agency working with Scottish social enterprise letting agency Homes for Good.

The critical comment was made during the hearing of a rent repayment order (RRO) application relating to a PRS tenancy in Nottingham which has a city wide selective licensing scheme.

The council's planning enforcement team started an investigation after a neighbour reported that the side extension was being rented out.

At sentencing last week the District Judge reportedly said the case was "a deliberate, large scale operation of falsity .... engineered solely for financial gain and profit".