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Landlord licensing schemes are never popular, but councils continue to claim that they drive up standards and prevent rogue landlords from operating. Many larger cities already operate landlord licensing schemes, but the London Borough of Ealing is now set to join them.
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Licensing Scheme Begins Jan 1st
From January 1st 2017, any landlord with an HMO in one of five boroughs within the Ealing district will have to apply for a landlord licence. At the moment, only landlords with larger properties are required to register in the mandatory landlord licensing scheme, but the new scheme will cover all HMOs with two or more storeys and four or more tenants.
Selective Licensing Scheme
The new landlord selective licensing scheme will also cover landlords with any type of rental property in South, Central and East Acton, Southall Broadway and Southall Green.
The cost of obtaining an HMO license for five years will be £1,100 per property plus an extra £30 for each habitable room. Landlords who fall under the selective licensing rules will have to pay £500.
Crackdown on Rogue Landlords
Ealing Borough Council claims their new landlord licensing scheme will reduce the number of complaints they have to deal with and improve properties within the private rental sector. They are also confident tenants will enjoy greater levels of protection from criminal landlords operating in the borough.
Despite the claims, the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) remains stridently opposed to such schemes. They say local authorities already have access to a wealth of information about landlords and would be better off concentrating on enforcement action against rogue operators.
