RENT rises have been threatened for some tenants in one of Burnley's most disadvantaged communities because of a proposed licensing scheme.

Landlords are being asked to play their part in helping to ensure anti-social behaviour is stamped out in parts of Trinity ward, under a selective licensing scheme.

But some property agents have already said they will sell up - or impose rent hikes - rather than be a part of Burnley council's plans for Trinity ward.

Under the initiative landlords will be asked to adhere to strict management standards, which should improve the lives of tenants and guard against nuisance neighbours.

Town hall surveys of residents in the selected area have shown that the vast majority of householders are in favour of selective licensing, Burnley council's executive has been told.

However 46 landlords also responded to a council questionaire on the issue - and seven out of 10 claimed the costs of the scheme were too high.

A report prepared for Tuesday's executive meeting said: " The main concern from landlords was that the fees are too high in relation to the rents paid for the properties.

"Some landlords indicated they would sell up rather than face the costs of the scheme or pass on the costs directly to tenants."

Landlords will pay £335 or £447 if they own a single property, depending on whether they are accredited or not by the authority.

For each additional property they will fork out either £179 or £134. In addition a £111 monitoring fee is imposed by the council.

One fear already expressed by people surveyed about the scheme is that high fees could lead to tenants being illegally evicted and some properties abandoned, so landlords can avoid paying out.

The bill for taxpayers as a result of the selective licensing pilot is £308,000, over five years.

But the anticipated outcome from licensing fees, imposed on landlords, is around £316,000.

Council housing officials would also have to recruit a project administrator and support officer for the venture before its expected introduction in April 2008.

Firstly an official licensing order needs to be ratified by Whitehall, under the 2004 Housing Act, to make the selective licensing agreement legal.

Trinity was selected ahead of a number of similar wards, as it had low levels of housing demand, higher rates of vacant properties and anti-social behaviour, and bottom-end housing prices.

While 1,400 homes are included under the designation, only 430 are privately-rented.

The area is already part of the South West Burnley Neighbourhood Action Plan and benefits from work to tackle vacant property levels, provide facelifts for rundown homes and the Sure Start community regeneration initiative.