Call for better communication of selective licensing schemes by councils

An organisation is urging councils to actively promote selective licensing schemes after a council introduced six new schemes but failed to put them on its website.

London Property Licensing has warned Harrow Council plans to introduce six new selective licensing schemes over the next four months.

The news comes as a landlord branded a council’s selective licensing scheme deluded.

Six new selective licensing schemes

Harrow Council carried out a 10-week consultation on introducing selective licensing and, at a council meeting in December last year, approved six new selective licensing areas to be rolled out during 2026 in a staggered approach.

However, London Property Licensing says that while there is a selective licensing postcode checker on the council’s website, it does not yet include any of the new schemes, and there has been no press release or news article on the council’s website to raise awareness of them.

Richard Tacagni, managing director at London Property Licensing, said: “With the Renters Rights Act 2025 increasing the maximum civil financial penalty for a licensing offence to £40,000, and rent repayment orders being extended to two years, it is vital that councils actively promote new licensing schemes before they come into force.

“The introduction of six new selective licensing schemes over a four-month period adds to the complex licensing framework in Harrow. I would urge landlords and lettings agents to study the arrangements carefully to ensure compliance”.

The news comes as councils in England will receive £41 million to pay for their new enforcement powers under the Renters’ Rights Act.

From May, councils will have a statutory duty to ensure compliance with measures banning Section 21 evictions and rent bidding wars.