ALL 257 private rented properties in a key Newham ward have now been licensed. Newham Council achieved the milestone earlier this month (May) in Little Ilford. That ward – which has been officially declared a Neighbourhood Improvement Zone (NIZ) – is seen as just the start by the council. It wants to extend the scheme to cover the whole of Newham. It would become the first borough in the country to license all private landlords. Consultation is currently underway.
 |
| [relatedPosts title=”Related Posts”] |
|
|
In Little Ilford, the council is also cracking down on rubbish in front gardens and innovatively using legislation – the Proceeds of Crime Act – to tackle landlords who flout the conditions of their licences.
Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham – where two thirds of London 2012 will take place – said: “It’s a fantastic achievement to reach this milestone there but we certainly won’t be resting on our laurels. We want this to be just the start.
“We will never accept private sector tenants being directly exploited by landlords who force them to live in dangerous and unacceptable conditions. One bad property drag down a whole street.
“Good landlords have nothing to fear from this scheme. For the bad ones, this a clear message they must clean up their act. ”
Newham’s bid to license all private landlords across the borough comes shortly after the borough announced the creation of a task force to combat ‘sheds with beds’. These are illegal ramshackle buildings built at the bottom of gardens which often house tenants living in appalling squalor. The council uses infra-red cameras and aerial photography to find the shanty-style homes – and ensure the landlords are brought to book.
If approved, the trail-blazing scheme would apply to one in three of all the borough’s households, protecting an estimated 35,000 private tenancies.
The proposals are backed by national housing charity Shelter which has urged other councils to follow Newham’s lead.
Sir Robin added: “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.”
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.”
.
