Lewisham’s selective licence scheme?

By what right is Lewisham council setting up this license, deciding on a fee, setting conditions, and enforcing it?

Please excuse my ignorance if this has been discussed already. Does this hang on some particular legislation, and have people checked that Lewisham are acting within that legislation?

This feels like a rug pull. Property isn’t something you can move, and you can’t sell without cost and inconvenience.

Reply to the comment left by Dan Snipe at 22/06/2024 – 13:57
It isn’t the only council unfortunately. Also unfortunately, not sure what we can do to stop it. it is supposed to crack down on rogue landlords but we all know it won’t and is just another way of fleecing good landlords. Then they wonder why rents go up as landlords can’t keep absorbing all these endless charges.
There are plenty of existing regulations for rogue landlords they can enforce now – but instead they create another money making scheme

What a load of nonsense, this Landlord Tax, sorry License is.
Lewisham’s one looks particularly odd and rather silly.
So it starts on July 1st, but there is “an early bird discount” available until Aug 22nd 2024. Eh, how does that work? Go figure, because I can’t!
I called their helpline on 27 June (four days before it is live, according to the website) and after ages I got through to a drone who told me, “a date has not been set when it will be enforced yet”. Make of that what you will folks, plus the fact that the early bird discount extends for fifty days after the scheme is supposed to start.
Shambles.
I asked the drone how much of the revenue from this would be used to go out and find the landlords who were not registered and who likely let out totally unsafe properties. She did not know, but referred me to a manager who has still not replied.
It is a tax, that is all it is, and there is no desire to root out the rogue operators hiding in the shadows. The objective is simply to raise cash from the obedient landlord mugs. I have written on my experience of the Southwark one here: https://www.lettingfocus.com/blogs/2023/09/southwark-selective-licensing-and-my-views-on-licensing/

Also, though Lewisham will know of my address and email from other sources from letting a property there for ages, have they contacted me?
Er, of course not.
I asked the drone on the helpline about this.
I was told they had sent emails about it out to landlords on their database.
But I never received one, nether did any other landlord I know either.
It is a joke.
And why is it that the NRLA, of which I am a member, has had nothing on their site about it coming either (they have covered other licensing schemes) and also nothing in their magazine.
That is just not good enough – they should be on top of this kind of thing. I have complained.
As another poster here said, “Are we supposed to be psychic?”.
Expect more of this nonsense under the coming Labour government, so God help us, especially here in London if they do pass over responsibility to SadDick on private rental matters.

Reply to the comment left by Fiona Dick at 23/06/2024 – 10:22
Exactly, well said – and see my two longer comments.

Reply to the comment left by David Lawrenson at 30/06/2024 – 12:35
Much that I see it as a (nother) tax on landlords, I have applied for it – as intended, I just don’t want to run the risk of not doing so. I’d prefer them to explain why they don’t properly use the existing powers effectively. Plus my letting agent require me to do it, so I have complied.

Reply to the comment left by Fiona Dick at 30/06/2024 – 12:54
Fair enough, but if I used an agent (which I don’t), then there is no way I would be expecting to have to pay for that agent to be checking it too.
I would make that clear to them.
Also, am I the only one thinking it is a pretty odd scheme that starts tomorrow (July 1) but still has an early bird discount until deep in August?
How could anyone be fined for not being in the scheme, but still be eligible for an early bird discount?
Der!
Does not make sense.
Even neighbouring Southwark’s Good Landlord Tax, sorry License was not that dumb.

Reply to the comment left by David Lawrenson at 30/06/2024 – 13:41
I’m not paying the agent to check it, but the do require I get the licence. What is annoying though is there is duplication in that you have to supply to the agent – that ‘unfortunate’ but they have responsibilities and the licence last for 5 years, so they need to check the uptodate details, not what was submitted for the licence they year before, 2 years ago etc
Also unfortunately tenants benefit financially from reporting landlords – they could actually be because they find out about via council tax etc yet the landlord is none the wiser because they don’t even know about it!

Reply to the comment left by Fiona Dick at 30/06/2024 – 14:00
Exactly.
There has clearly been nil attempt to contact landlords from the council using their records.
We are supposed to find out from the back of buses which pass through Lewisham, as if we all live round there.
I bet some of the more rapacious freeholders / managing agents will try to stiff landlords for a fee for checking this too.
Actually, what right have you or I got to supply details on mortgage lenders, managing agents, freeholders etc.? I bet that we could be in breach of a landlord’s reasonable obligations and there might be data privacy issues. But the council of course are regularly breaking such rules themselves.

Reply to the comment left by David Lawrenson at 30/06/2024 – 15:07
they have sent out the details with council tax bills apparently. But not all landlords live in Lewisham