x
By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies to enhance your experience.
Written by Emma Lunn

The National Landlords Association (NLA) has invited Croydon Borough Council to a meeting to justify proposals that could increase rents and diminish the availability of housing in the area.

The invitation comes after the council began consulting on proposals to extend its property licensing scheme to all private rented homes in the borough. Currently only landlords of Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) require a license to let in Croydon.

If agreed, the measures would see all landlords in Croydon required to obtain a license to let out property. The NLA says the changes, which could increase the cost of renting by £500 - £1000 per property, will deter investment in housing in the area and be transferred on to tenants as higher rents.

Croydon Borough Council’s proposal will also make landlords responsible for controlling visitors to their properties as well as managing anti-social behaviour of tenants, which the NLA argues is unfair and unworkable.

The NLA has invited the council to address landlords and tenants at a meeting to discuss the proposals on 25 September, but the council has yet to respond. Local Croydon MP Gavin Barwell, who backs the campaign against the scheme and will speak out against the proposals at the meeting, is urging landlords and tenants in Croydon to attend the meeting and to put a stop to the proposals:

“It doesn’t take a genius to work out what will happen if this scheme goes ahead - landlords will simply pass the additional cost on to their tenants. It is a classic Labour stealth tax that is predicted to raise over £4.5 million for the council, lifted straight from the pockets of hardworking residents.

“Introducing a stealth tax, which will lead to some of the most vulnerable people in society facing even higher rents, is beneath contempt.”

Gavin Dick, NLA policy officer, agrees that the proposals amount to little more than a tax on renters:

“These proposals will simply mean higher rents as the increased costs will be passed through to tenants in the area. The changes would also make investing in properties in Croydon a less attractive prospect for landlords and will only serve to decrease the availability of affordable housing.

“There is clearly a strong desire to push through these proposals but Croydon Borough Council has yet to respond to our invitation to justify the proposals, and has done little to make landlords or tenants aware that the consultation is live.

“The NLA’s meeting will discuss how the people of Croydon can influence the decision and find out how to have their say in order to stop the council’s costly proposals.”

The meeting is being held at Imperial Conference Centre, Hampton by Hilton Croydon beginning at 7pm on 25 September.

Comments

  • icon

    As a PS landlord for 14 years with a number of properties in licensing schemes around the country, it needles me when local authorities talk about making private landlords responsible for controlling visitors to their let properties and managing anti-social behaviour. I own several ex-LA properties where the neighbours are still council tenants and my experience is that local authorities do little or nothing to exercise this type of control on their own tenants. I doubt that Croydon is any different, because they simply won't have the resources. LAs seriously need to put their own houses in order before imposing impractical and unworkable obligations on honest PS landlords trying to provide a good service to tenants at a reasonable cost.

    • 19 September 2014 10:53 AM
  • icon

    @ Richard

    Sorry why would I attend a Croydon Council meeting given I am not in their Borough.

    I am simply stating the actual legal position. Cabinet members can think, wish, hope and believe that it is as they say, but if it isn't legal, then it isn't.

    I see what they mean and intend, you can control occupier numbers for example in a licence, but not occasional casual visitors.

    This idea of making Landlords some kind of social workers for tenants (and the Council) has been tried before and failed. Because it is not the Landlord's legal liability

    • 19 September 2014 10:48 AM
  • icon

    industry observer, shame you did not attend the meeting last night with the cabinet member who confirmed this -

    • 19 September 2014 10:20 AM
  • icon

    Good for you NLA, you helped landlords and agents in Southend, and we managed to get SL shelved, and are working through some very forward thinking processes and techniques together, residents, landlords, agents, councillors, multi-agencies.
    Why haven't the decision makers realised yet that they are causing such misery by introducing so many new things, by taking advice from well meaning but inexperienced people. They should learn from the people who do this day in day out, not those sitting on the sidelines, listening to the bad experiences but not the good experiences.
    -To manage the deposit scheme the rent has to go up to pay for an admin person.
    -To cope with universal credit and benefit money in general a landlord has to sort it out for the tenant. Less time to spend improving the property, or stop taking benefits tenants due to not getting paid and having a whole extra raft of work to cover.
    -SL will discourage the majority of landlords who will evict and sell if possible, thus reducing the rental stock.
    How difficult is it to understand this, and realise that working with the professionals is the way forward as in any other walk of life.

    • 19 September 2014 09:59 AM
  • icon

    "Croydon Borough Council’s proposal will also make landlords responsible for controlling visitors to their properties as well as managing anti-social behaviour of tenants, which the NLA argues is unfair and unworkable."

    No it won't by Statute these are not Landlord duties or responsibilities though Landlords have limited powers to try and intervene if abuse in such areas is taking place at a property.

    As usual mis-information where licensing is concerned.

    • 19 September 2014 09:45 AM
MovePal MovePal MovePal