Council slammed for extending licensing schemes without telling landlords

Council slammed for extending licensing schemes without telling landlords

0:04 AM, 9th September 2024, About 2 months ago 1

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Despite being the London borough with the highest fines for unlicensed properties, Waltham Forest council has been criticised for its lack of communication over the extension of its licensing schemes.

The additional licensing scheme, which will cover the entire borough, starts on 1 April next year but the council has failed to widely publicise this information.

An analysis of the Mayor of London’s rogue landlord database reveals that Waltham Forest has issued £876,400 in fines related to unlicensed properties in 2024.

But rather than publicise the move, landlords and agents have been left in the dark, says proptech firm Kamma.

Landlord communication is crucial

The chief executive of Kamma, Orla Shields, says timely communication is crucial and said: “The rigorous enforcement by Waltham Forest is commendable and sets a high standard for improving housing conditions.

“However, this progress is undermined by the council’s failure to adequately inform stakeholders about upcoming licensing changes.”

She adds: “While Kamma provides essential reports to letting agents about how regulations affect their properties, this responsibility should primarily lie with the council.

“By not properly communicating these changes, councils risk reinforcing the perception that licensing is merely a cash grab, rather than a genuine effort to enhance housing standards.”

Little effort to inform landlords

The firm says the council’s announcement has been quietly published, with little effort to inform landlords and letting agents to spark concern among industry professionals.

The information is currently buried within the council’s consultation announcements, with the additional licensing webpage not slated for an update until May 2025 — after the new scheme has already commenced.

It’s not just landlords suffering with the lack of information in Waltham Forest, a poll conducted by Kamma found that nearly 70% of landlords and letting agents struggle to determine whether their properties fall within a licensing scheme.

Plus, more than 90% of them criticised councils for failing to effectively publicise upcoming schemes and regulatory changes.

Kamma says that as Waltham Forest continues to enforce its licensing regulations, it is crucial that landlords and agents get ample notice to prepare for licensing changes.


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PAUL BARTLETT

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9:14 AM, 8th October 2024, About 4 weeks ago

It obviously is a cash grab as councils have adequate powers and responsibilities already. Cynical move by central government to enable this.
The risk of fines in the 10s of thousands of pounds is so far in excess of the retained funds of a rental business (5%?) that all it does is cause landlords who are paying attention to realise that it cannot be accepted so time to leave. We'll done homeless activists!

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