Newham could become the first borough in the country to license all private landlords. The east London council has just started a 10-week consultation. Councillors will then consider giving it the green light.
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If approved, the trail-blazing 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.
The radical move comes shortly after the borough announced the creation of a task force to combat ‘super sheds’. These are illegal ramshackle buildings built at the bottom of gardens which often house tenants living in appalling squalor. The council plans to use infra-red cameras and aerial photography to find the shanty-style homes – and ensure the landlords are brought to book.
The proposals are backed by national housing charity Shelter which has urged other councils to follow Newham’s lead.
This pioneering initiative has already been successfully piloted on a small scale in the borough’s Little Ilford Neighbourhood Improvement Zone (NIZ).
Newham Mayor Sir Robin Wales said: “This proposed scheme shows that Newham is leading the country when it comes to tackling bad landlords who flout the law.
“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.
“There are good landlords in Newham and we want to work with them. Unfortunately there are also some unscrupulous ones – which these proposals would target.”
Sir Robin added: “We will never accept private sector tenants being directly exploited by landlords who force them to live in dangerous and unacceptable conditions.
“Good landlords have nothing to fear from this scheme. For the bad ones, this a clear message they must clean up their act. ”
Kay Boycott, director of communications, policy and campaigns at Shelter, said: “We are delighted to hear that Newham Council could be introducing this scheme, which would help protect vulnerable tenants from rogue landlords who are making their tenants’ lives hell.
“With a chronic shortage of social housing and more and more people being priced out of the housing market, renting is fast becoming the only option for thousands more Londoners. Our advice service for tenants in Newham sees people every day who are suffering at the hands of rogue landlords who are ignoring their responsibilities and wreaking havoc on tenants’ lives.
“We urge other local councils to follow Newham’s lead in sending a clear signal that enforcing the law against rogue landlords is a priority.”
Further Information
The consultation is managed by Opinion Research Services (an independent research company). The online survey is available through the link below:
www.ors.org.uk/survey/newham
