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Anti-rental activists in bust up with council over landlord licensing

A group of activists has expressed outrage over a council’s private rental licensing scheme, claiming it is too small to catch what it calls “rogue landlords”.

Activists’ group Acorn says Newcastle council’s proposed scheme - approved this week by councillors - is inadequate.

Acorn has tweeted: “A victory for private tenants in Newcastle. Today the council passed a recommendation for selective and additional licensing in the city. The area is TOO SMALL and this recommendation to partially licence is NOT ENOUGH. Join us to fight for more.”

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Earlier the council backed a proposal to introduce a licensing scheme - with landlords having to pay up to £750 per property - applying to 9,377 HMOs and a further 3,664 privately let units. 

However, this is some 5,500 units less than an original proposal which never got off the starting blocks - and it’s this larger proposal that the Acorn activists now want.

The larger proposal had been the subject of a formal consultation process, at which the Residential Landlords Association raised several concerns, including that it is likely only good landlords would apply for the licence, while criminal landlords will simply ignore the scheme.

According to the council, of those who responded to the licensing consultation, 85 per cent of landlords and agents believed licensing would not improve areas and 76 per cent disapproved of the schemes.

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    So acorn help out the tenant again, with the council ignoring consultations between them the tenant is now heading for rent increases.

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    There is plenty of legislation already in place to tackle rogue landlords so there is no need for licensing.

    It is just an excuse to tax landlords further.

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    Meanwhile Newcastle Council are rubbing their hands together with glee, ready to make some serious money out of already struggling landlords

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    • 20 June 2019 20:27 PM

    About time Govt said enough.
    From now on ALL LL will require a licence per property.
    Maximum fee for a 5 year licence........£100.
    Therefore any property let without a licence no the LL will be committing a criminal offence.
    That will frighten the rogue LL.
    It will also stop those homeowners who illegally let their property when work or other commitments take them away.
    In future they will have to sell or leave the property empty.
    Though of course there is always the lodger strategy.
    But no more AST in resi mortgaged properties if the homeowner hasn't obtained CTL.
    There are apparently about 300000 of these criminal homeowners illegally letting their home.

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    Best solution Paul, been saying the same for years, although I’d say the properties don’t need the licence, the landlord does. If you pass the tests for a licence, that licence should entitle you to rent a house anywhere, much as a driving licence applies to multiple vehicles.

     
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    But we will see , we all know governments and council are clueless when it comes to property management and Letting.

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