A landlord has launched a legal challenge against a compulsory licensing scheme being introduced in a London borough - a move which could have implications for similar local authority proposals across the country.
Constantinos Regas, a landlord in Enfield, north London, has started proceedings for a judicial review of the decision by Enfield Council’s cabinet to introduce the scheme for all private landlords. As with many other councils, Enfield’s proposals involves charging £500 for a five year licence for every property that is privately let.
Landlords must provide evidence that appropriate health and safety laws are met, and that procedures are in place to counteract anti-social behaviour - the justification invoked by the council for introducing the licensing scheme. The council in Enfield has already been challenged by a group of landlords who gathered 1,850 signatures on a petition opposing the scheme.
However, the scheme was approved by the appropriate committees and cabinet of the council. Regas, who lets out only one property, is quoted in his local newspaper as saying that: “Like anyone applying for a judicial review, I am taking legal action as a last resort.
My concerns have been ignored and the council has been uncooperative in providing information. “I’ve repeatedly stated that I consider good housing conditions a human right. But the idea that a majority of tenants are neighbours from hell or that most landlords are greedy people who rent out ‘beds in sheds’ is not supported by data” he says.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.png)
Comments
This nonsense licensing scheme was origanlly started in Newham and despite 90% of landlords rejecting it the mayor pushed it through as his 'pet project' or as the public saw it, a money making scam!
the neham scheme and schemes in other boroughs have been allowed to go through because no-one had the guts to take on the councils.
We hope this guy wins the case and has the scheme scrapped, which would hopefully have implications on existing schemes and have their licensing scrapped with massive financial costs to the councils.. it would serve them right!
Another revenue raising opportunity for the council. I give it a year before they all start doing it.
Anti-social behaviour is now the responsibility of the landlord?
What exactly are the police and - irony upon irony - the council are for?
Add to that the fact that the government is trying to introduce compulsory visa checks for prospective tenants and we can soon make the landlord reponsible for everything. While at the same time charging him for everything.
Great idea. So great I'm definitely looking into moving my operations abroad.
The Council can do one, good luck to this guy sticking up for himself.
It's his property, and as long as he isn't breaking any laws then he should be able to do what he likes with it.
Another stealth tax by the Council, don't have it.