Hundreds of landlords in the district are ignoring strict new legislation on shared houses and bedsits.

Since April, all homes of multiple occupation (HMO) with three or more storeys have had to be licensed in a bid to tackle poor conditions.

Landlords were given a three-month grace period to apply, but so far out of an estimated 600 properties requiring a licence, only 150 applications have been received by Bradford Council's Private Sector Housing department.

The Council is urging landlords to get their licences now or risk fines of up to £20,000.

Councillor Andrew Mallin-son, executive member for regeneration and housing, said: "Private Sector Housing will soon be carrying out checks to identify properties that should be licensed as HMOs, because it is now a criminal offence to operate these properties without one.

"In addition to a fine of up to £20,000 if found guilty, the landlord may also be required to repay money received as rent during the period the property has not been licensed.

"These powers strengthen the licensing provisions and offer further protection for tenants. They also mean decent landlords will see an end to unfair competition from those avoiding their responsibilities."

Research has shown that larger shared homes are the properties presenting the highest risk to tenants, particularly if a fire starts. The licence also involves Council inspections as one of the extra standards which now apply to such properties.

Some landlords have already applied for licences and Coun Mallinson presented the first one in Bradford to Razi Khan at City Hall.

His is among the first of a batch of 150 licences being processed by the Council's team. About 300 licence application packs have been sent out, but only a relatively small number have been returned.

Mr Khan said: "I'm the first landlord to be licensed and I've been happy to support and co-operate with Bradford Council over this new legislation, that's why I got my application in on time - I'd urge other landlords to do the same."

HMO Owners who have not yet submitted an application should do so by calling (01274) 433523 or (01274) 437107.

e-mail: jo.winrow@bradford.newsquest.co.uk