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Council boasts of issuing 133 penalty notices and 23 improvement notices

A London council wants to extend its private rental sector licensing scheme - and in doing so is boasting of the number of notices it’s so far issued against landlords.

Havering council has begun a consultation looking at extending its scheme, launched initially in March 2018.

As part of the publicity promoting its extension, the council says it has issued 133 financial penalty notices issued to unlicensed HMOs and 23 notices served warning landlords to improve standards.

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There have also been 27 so-called ‘multi-agency’ enforcement operations; in addition, there have been 206 HMO licences issued.

Now there are plans to expand the HMO sheme from the current 12 wards to a further six. And on top of this, the proposals will also consider looking at introducing a selective licensing scheme to cover single family properties in two specific wards. 

The council claims the usual justifications for such a scheme - to ensure there is “a choice of safe, quality and well-managed accommodation,” to “reduce anti-social behaviour in the private rented sector” and to “further increase enforcement action on landlords that operate below-standard and unlicensed properties.”

The consultation runs until September 16.

  • PossessionFriendUK PossessionFriend

    So, in a year and a half, Only 23 premises have warranted Improvement - which could have been done by existing powers the Council have.
    Meanwhile, a huge Bureaucratic Paper Shuffling waste has been going on !
    I suppose its kept a few jobs and killed a few trees, ALSO Adding to Rental costs for Tenants !
    ( Oh, did anyone at the Council not know how business works, Costs get passed on - wake up and smell the coffee ! )

    S l
    • S l
    • 02 July 2019 15:06 PM

    That is not their agenda. Its to get income revenue from landlords with more than one property as most people do not own more than one properties. You can literally see the green eyes when the council share all data to all department and council tax office are all too hung up on catching landlord for 150% empty property and full 100 percent on property despite rules on discount and exemption as they deem the landlord can afford it to pay their salary and revenue intake

     
  • Mick Roberts

    Licensing creates a problem where there wasn't one before.


    The problem with the normal Licensing scheme's, is that they have made that many homeless introducing retrospective punitive change to tenants that didn't have a problem.

    Having to pay £800 for what? I've got new boiler, new kitchen, new bathroom, but now u charging me tenant £800? And don't be mistaken, the tenant pays for this.
    Rent pays EVERYTHING.
    Meanwhile as shown above, the bad Landlords stay quiet & u might catch a few of 'em using the good landlords money. So u catch a few, but is that worth the risk of the good houses good landlords good tenants being made homeless for u to catch a few.

    We'd all support u if u charged £300 & inspected EVERY HOUSE!

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    Told you council bods are thick.

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    I wonder how many of the 133 financial penalties issued were for not having a licence that seemingly only exists to create penalties that weren't there before to justify the licence's existence...

    I think the fact that only 23 properties had improvement notices show that the vast, vast majority within the industry are exceptional in the execution of their duties and the scheme in its current form is not necessary, let alone any expansion!!

    Also, if they are indeed claiming licensing impacts anti-social behaviour, no doubt the stats from the initial licensed area can back that up? Didn't think so!

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    I once had a notice for having 9 letting rooms and no licence. Unfortunateky the house only had 8 rooms including bathroom, kitchen, cellar and through lounge. Perhaps they had counted the outside privy at the bottom of the garden. I've had their letter framed.

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