Landlord licensing starts here....hopefully

Graham_Devon

Landlords who rent out properties privately in a borough in east London could be the first in the country to face mandatory licensing under new proposals.

Newham Council has started a 10-week consultation on proposals to introduce a licensing scheme for all private landlords that would see them and their properties subjected to legal checks. If the scheme is approved by councillors, it will be the first borough in England to license all private landlords.

Landlords in the borough will need to show that they are "fit and proper persons", which could involve a Criminal Record Bureau check. They will also need to demonstrate to the local authority that any gas and electrical installations have a safety certificate, tenants are on written tenancy agreements and anti-social behaviour and repairs are effectively managed.

Newham Council has been piloting a version of the licensing scheme in an area of the borough for the last 18 months. Under the scheme landlords are charged £500 for a licence, or £300 for early applications.

If mandatory licensing across the borough is approved, the scheme in Newham – where two thirds of the Olympics will take place – could be up and running before next year's Games start in July. It would apply to one in three of all the borough's households, protecting an estimated 35,000 private tenancies.

"We want to ensure that private sector rented properties are well managed and meet a good standard. We also want to deal with the crime and anti-social behaviour that is sometimes associated with bad private sector rented housing," Newham mayor, Sir Robin Wales, said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/sep/29/newham-landlords-licensing-scheme

All I have to say is......

Good.

IveSeenTheLight

Don;t get me wrong, I'm all for liscencing.
I'm a registered landlord under the scheme in Scotland.

That said, it appears for me to be a money generating scheme for the council.
If all properties signed up using the early discount figure, it would generate over £1 million.

The funny and hypocrital part is this

"We want to ensure that private sector rented properties are well managed and meet a good standard

It's been statistically shown that private rental properties are on average a higher standard than social housing and have improved since the social housing sell off.

Blacklight

There are laws already in place which every landlord has to comply with. Indeed there was a landlord on a news recently that got banged up for a faulty gas fire which caused injury.

This is like licensing every employer in the country to make sure they comply with employment law. Just a money maker for the local govenment which will only push up rent further. I'm surprised you want to see rents going up Graham.

Road_Hog

Graham_Devon wrote: »

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/sep/29/newham-landlords-licensing-scheme

All I have to say is......

Good.

This is a money making scheme for the council. It will push up rental costs by the landlord passing it on to the tenants or it will just mean that housing stock is taken off the market or the smaller landlords withdraw and the bigger professional (as in maximising profits) landlords take up the slack.

I'm a one property landlord, my current set of tenants have been there for just over 10 years and they're paying the same rental that they were when they moved in. When I see extra costs and red tape coming my way, I think of rental increases or jacking it in.

I also allow tenants with pets or those who smoke.

Do you really want to force landlords like me out of the market?

PS The house is let through an agency so it has its yearly gas check etc.

angrypirate

The laws at the moment tho are so lax. A system where a LL has to be registered can only be a good thing. To put it into context, a LL who is registered gets a phone call from his tenant saying that the boiler has broken down. If the LL drags his feet in getting it repaired within a reasonable time frame, the tenant then can put pressure on the LL otherwise he can be struck off the list and unable to let his properties as he would be deemed an unfit LL

Thrugelmir

Road_Hog wrote: »

This is a money making scheme for the council. It will push up rental costs by the landlord passing it on to the tenants or it will just mean that housing stock is taken off the market or the smaller landlords withdraw and the bigger professional (as in maximising profits) landlords take up the slack.

Possibly save the council £'000's dealing with the issues created by amateurs in the marketplace. Irrespective of number of properties let. Letting a property is a business and should be run professionally. As ultimately this affects peoples lives. £300 shouldn't endanger a well managed financially sound business.

I'm sure the HMRC will be interested in the register to.

Graham_Devon

Really?

Landlords saying it will push costs up for tenants?

Meanwhile same landlords are boasting about how profitable it all is right now?

Come on. This "the cost will be passed to the tenants" threat is a little overdone now. It's said about everything as soon as landlords (as a whole) find they might have to actually do something. It's as bad as the banks using the threat of leaving the UK everytime we try and fix something.

Going4TheDream

IveSeenTheLight wrote: »

Don;t get me wrong, I'm all for liscencing.
I'm a registered landlord under the scheme in Scotland.

That said, it appears for me to be a money generating scheme for the council.
If all properties signed up using the early discount figure, it would generate over £1 million.

The funny and hypocrital part is this


It's been statistically shown that private rental properties are on average a higher standard than social housing and have improved since the social housing sell off.

Valid point on the social housing, however whilst there are many excellent landlords out there equally there are many that are not, as an example I see almost daily on the house buying renting thread people who are renting out houses asking the most basic of questions, so in theory it is a good idea and a start. Money making for the councils?? There will be costs involved in running the scheme, you cant honestly expect the good old taxpayer to pick up the cost? and if it means a small surplus and less council tax increase all the better afterall we hear about how landlords are raking it in these days so I am sure you can all afford it?

heathcote123

Can we have a tenant licensing scheme as well?

Going4TheDream

Road_Hog wrote: »

This is a money making scheme for the council. It will push up rental costs by the landlord passing it on to the tenants or it will just mean that housing stock is taken off the market or the smaller landlords withdraw and the bigger professional (as in maximising profits) landlords take up the slack.

I'm a one property landlord, my current set of tenants have been there for just over 10 years and they're paying the same rental that they were when they moved in. When I see extra costs and red tape coming my way, I think of rental increases or jacking it in.

I also allow tenants with pets or those who smoke.

Do you really want to force landlords like me out of the market?

PS The house is let through an agency so it has its yearly gas check etc.

No as you are probably one of the good guys..... and it is a shame that if there were more like you then this kind of legislation wouldnt be necessary. I also get the impression that ISLL is a good guy too...

Graham_Devon

Going4TheDream wrote: »

No as you are probably one of the good guys..... and it is a shame that if there were more like you then this kind of legislation wouldnt be necessary. I also get the impression that ISLL is a good guy too...

What this will hopefully do however, is stop the real amateur landlords. Those who state they are not running a business. Those that won't sell their house for anything less than peak and therefore choose to rent it out, but still class it as their "home".

I couldn't just start loaning out my car to any old tom !!!!!! or harry. I need to go through channels to do so. But I can with my house.