Newham licensing

Newham had been fighting for some time for its licensing scheme to be renewed, pointing to its successes. Since its introduction five years ago, Newham Council has brought 1, prosecutions, served 2, notices requiring properties to be made safe, and banned 28 landlords, forcing them either to sell up or to hand over their properties to an agent. The authority has also targeted letting agents throughout the borough, prosecuting at least two, issuing legal notices against over , and recovering tenancy deposits that were illegally retained.

The Newham scheme has proved something of a template for other local authorities: there are currently 67 licensing schemes in England, with a further ten in consultation. Click to login. Don't have an account? Click here to register. But has it considered this from the point of view of a responsible landlord? It was the first council to license all private landlords. It has used propaganda, to slur private landlords in the media.

The Council published photos of some people living a disused walk-in-freezer and being charged rent and claimed all landlords were rogues. How many walk-in-freezers are available for rent on Rightmove?. Newham claimed landlords were rogue, yet managed to license 25, or so landlords within a few months and claimed their licensing scheme was a huge success.

So why after 5 years do they say their licensing scheme has not worked and they need to renew it? I have no problem with Licensing, but I am frustrated by the bureaucracy and the fees. Each council have their own petty rules. Every few months there are new laws. One Newham landlord, was unaware, his tenant had sublet the bedrooms to other people and overcrowded the property.

If the council received complaints from neighbours, they should first tell the landlords rather then turn up with a TV crew. They prosecuted the landlord, even though he was a victim of his tenants actions.

In the interest of justice, the council should inform of potential problems. The legal cost in defending himself were huge. There is no deterrent for the tenant, to rent another home and to the same to another landlords. We have a housing crisis. Robert believes this has made it undesirable for young professionals or those who wish to rent with a couple of friends. The data also showed London experienced a higher net loss of people than any other region, with a total of , people.

The data also revealed the South West was the most popular region to move to, with a plus migration of 27, people, while Devon topped the leader board for the most popular county 8, This newspaper has been a central part of community life for many years. Our industry faces testing times, which is why we're asking for your support. Every contribution will help us continue to produce local journalism that makes a measurable difference to our community.

London Live News Updated. London Live News. Newham says using licensing in this way has helped to completely revolutionise their ability to take on rogue landlords and tackle bad conditions in their rapidly growing private rented sector. With all the data that the council has at its fingertips, finding landlords with the wrong licence is relatively easy and often bears results. The intelligence that they gather can then also be used to tip-off their conventional environmental health enforcement, which acting alone can be painfully slow to get results.

Some landlords and letting agents have been unhappy with having to pay the licensing fee that covers the administration of the scheme and allows the council to check, for example, whether landlords applying for a licence are fit and proper persons.

The changes were widely interpreted as meaning the government just wanted to put a stop to borough-wide selective licensing. Newham itself will be obliged to get Secretary of State sign off to renew the scheme next year. Their use of licensing in this way has helped turn around enforcement in the borough and won them plaudits. They can make a strong case to government for their pragmatic approach.

Licensing at present is not perfect. For example, the variety of schemes has led to a patchwork of different enforcement regimes , which can be confusing for both landlords and tenants.