Feb

Expert slams licencing schemes for red tape that ‘punishes good landlords’

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Propertymark is calling for more local authority funding to ensure licensing schemes don’t unfairly burden compliant landlords.

It says councils’ scant resources and inadequate staffing levels mean processing licence applications takes longer than it should and hampers their ability to deal with admin, leaving landlords frustrated and uncertain about their entitlements while being processed.

In Tower Hamlets, some Propertymark members took months to get their licence.

One of the largest licensing scheme proposals in Brent would cover about 50,000 PRS properties, according to Tim Thomas, policy and campaigns officer (main picture).

“To base an estimate on one staff member visiting three properties per day, it would take over 50 years to complete checks on every property which is a completely unrealistic number to ensure were compliant,” he says.s

Rogue operators

Landlords are paying up to £1,215 per HMO property while rogue operators continue to operate under the radar, according to Propertymark.

It reports that while some local authorities are acknowledging the difference being part of an accredited organisation makes and offering discounts, it believes this offer should be taken up by more councils in order to limit the costs for good landlords.

Propertymark is voicing its concerns to local authorities and local representatives and explaining why it believes licensing is not the best way to improve standards across the PRS.

Adds Thomas: “As more and more schemes pop up, we will continue to engage with all levels of politics and government to ensure local authorities are targeting their scarce resources appropriately and good agents and landlords are not burdened with overzealous licensing schemes.”

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