Selective Licensing in Newham

Newham Council intends to make landlords get licenses for every property in the Borough.

The Housing Act 2004 allows local authorities to create areas of ‘Selective Licensing’. This means that if a landlord wants to let out a property (irrespective of size), in the Selective Licensing area, they need to get a license.

Selective Licensing was designed to be a targeted measure to overcome specific problems in a small geographic area – for example, severe problems with anti-social behaviour in a few streets or low demand for houses due to poor management or maintenance standards. There are several Selective Licensing schemes in operation across the country. However, most only encompass a few streets or at most, a Council Ward – a targeted approach to a specific problem.

On the other hand, in Newham, the Mayor is proposing to create a Selective Licensing Designation across the entire London Borough. This has the potential to affect some 40,000 private rented properties and over 4,000 landlords.

Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham, argues that introducing Selective Licensing across Newham is necessary to stamp out a persistent and significant problem with anti-social behaviour and to improve the quality of Newham’s private rented sector.

While these aims are very laudable (and the NLA supports the Mayor is trying to tackle these problems) we do not believe that Selective Licensing is the most effective response. Licensing will not route out the rogue, criminal landlords who operate sub-standard and poorly managed private rented properties. Indeed, it may make matters worse as the scarce Council resources will be taken up in administering the licensing scheme rather than prosecuting criminal landlords.

We believe that Accreditation and targeted enforcement will be vastly more successful in improving Newham’s private rented sector than a blanket licensing scheme.

NLA Special Branch Meeting

On Monday 14 November 2011, the NLA hosted a Special Branch Meeting on Selective Licensing in Newham at the Stratford Theatre. Richard Lambert, NLA Chief Executive Officer, explained to those assembled why the NLA does not believe that selective licensing will achieve the desired objectives and Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham, set out his reasons for wanting this scheme before passing to the floor for discussion.

Click Here to see the Presentation

Click Here to watch the Videos

Consultation

Newham Council ran several consultation events between October and December 2011 as well as publishing an online questionnaire. The NLA responded to the questionnaire highlighting our views on Selective Licensing and explaining why we think it is the wrong tool at the wrong time.

Click Here to view the NLA Consultation Response