All Oxford's rented homes to be registered to protect renters

City council inspectors found this toilet had been plumbed into a shower

All of a city's privately rented homes will need to be added to a council register amid fears thousands could have serious defects.

Oxford City Council said inspectors found a toilet in a shower and garden sheds being rented out as rooms.

It said the scheme, which will involve about 26,000 homes from September, will help maintain a minimum standard.

Currently only houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in Oxford need to be registered with the authority.

Nearly half of Oxford's homes - about 30,500 - are privately rented and about 4,500 of those are HMOs.

An independent review in 2020 found about 6,200 privately rented homes across the city could have serious hazards.

Inspectors found a gaping hole in the ceiling of one property

The council said government approval of a plan means that all privately rented homes will need a licence to help ensure they are safe, well maintained and well managed.

Landlords will also need to show they are meeting safety and management standards, are a fit and proper person to rent out homes and meet waste storage and disposal requirements.

Imogen Thomas, a Labour city councillor, said tenants are "too often left at the mercy of a system that it is weighted against them".

Another hole was found in the floor of one bathroom

Inspectors also found windows trapped by building in another city property

Lucy Pegg, a Green city councillor, said the party supported the new plan "as a step towards improving management standards" but that "without proper resourcing", it "will not have the impact it should".

Mark Bhagwandin, the Conservatives' chairman in Oxford East, said his party also welcomes the scheme and that the council has "finally woken up to the fact that something can actually be legally done to ensure that tenants are provided with safe and good quality accommodation."

While the Liberal Democrats said they support the scheme's principle but want to ensure private landlords' views are taken into account.

The state of a plug socket found during another inspection

The scheme will start on 1 September and run for five years.

Landlords will need to pay for a five-year licence, which will cost £480, or £400 if landlords apply within three months. Accredited landlords will be able to buy a licence for a discounted fee of £280.

Gavin Dick, from the National Residential Landlords Association, said the programme was "very good virtue signalling" but that he has "no confidence" the authority's aims will be met.