You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
London borough to tackle poor-quality private rentals with new licensing scheme
A south London borough is launching a new landlord licensing scheme to tackle poor property conditions in the private rented sector.
As it announced the scheme, Lewisham Council said that one in four residents in the borough rent privately, but the quality of its private rented stock is far worse than the national average.
In a bid to drive standards up, the local authority wants to introduce a new licensing scheme. If approved by the government, it would mean landlords are charged £640 to rent a property out.
The borough currently has two licensing schemes covering 1,166 houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). This new scheme would expand protection to an additional 20,000 properties.
READ MORE
In order to obtain a licence, properties would need to meet minimum health and safety standards. Landlords who fail to fulfil their statutory responsibilities, such as carrying out repairs in a timely fashion, would be subject to enforcement action from the council.
The new scheme is selective, meaning it will not cover the entire borough, but will apply in 16 of its 18 wards across three separate “designations”. These zones have been designed to tackle the most pressing issues within each area, including poor housing quality, high prevalence of anti-social behaviour and deprivation.
Lewisham currently has serious hazards in 22.7% of privately rented homes, considerably higher than the national average of 13%, according to a cabinet report on the licensing scheme.
The report described how the private sector in the borough has grown from 24% in 2011 to 31% in 2021, an increase of almost 30% over 10 years.
This increased demand for privately rented homes has led to soaring rents, recently exacerbated by London’s volatile market. “This, combined with the cost of living crisis, is pushing more residents into difficult choices between affordability and quality of accommodation,” the report said.
Sophie Davis, cabinet member for housing management and homelessness, said: “Everybody deserves a safe place to call home and currently far too many private renters have to put up with homes which are not fit for purpose.
“Our new licensing scheme will help to improve conditions for private renters in Lewisham and ensure that the small minority of landlords who fail to carry out their responsibilities face action.
“I am pleased that we are continuing to take bold action to stand up for private renters and tackle the housing crisis facing Lewisham.”
Once approval has been received from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, work will begin on the implementation of the scheme. A statutory three-month notice will be published before it comes into effect.
Sign up for our Council Focus newsletter
Already have an account? Click here to manage your newsletters
