May

Housing first! Council approves key property licensing schemes, but without start date

admin

Islington says that because of Coronavirus it does now know when its new HMO and Selective Licensing schemes will come into force but that they will ‘level the playing field’ for landlords.

Islington Council has given
the go-ahead for two new property licensing schemes with the hope of improving
conditions in the private rented sector.

It’s
approved both a borough-wide additional HMO licensing scheme and a selective
licensing scheme to cover all properties in the Finsbury Park ward that aren’t already
covered by a scheme.

A council spokesman tells LandlordZONE that no start date has been agreed due to the COVID-19 crisis. He says: “At this stage the decision has been made by the executive in principle but no start dates have been discussed so any instigation wouldn’t be in the near future.”

HMOs have some of
Islington’s poorest housing standards and many conversions don’t meet fire
safety standards; Finsbury Park ward has the highest number of complaints
about private rented property in the borough and it believes many people there face
higher levels of deprivation, and are at greater risk of being taken advantage
of by rogue landlords.

Islington Council says the schemes
benefit responsible landlords by levelling the playing field, ensuring rogue
landlords who avoid paying out for repairs aren’t saving money by renting
properties in poor condition.

Councillor Diarmaid Ward,
executive member for housing and development, says: “There are a great number
of responsible landlords in the borough, and these licensing schemes will help
the council to ensure that those conscientious landlords are rewarded, while
rogue operators offering poor conditions are more easily
identified.”

However, the National Residential Landlords Association warns the schemes could lead to rent increases while criminal landlords might simply ignore them, as they do other regulations. In its response to the consultation, the association pointed out that the council already has sufficient enforcement powers to raise standards.

View Full Article: Housing first! Council approves key property licensing schemes, but without start date