Waltham Forest announces start date for landlord licensing

Waltham Forest Council has announced that Waltham Forest will be a Private Rented Property Licence Area from 1 April 2015.

This means that almost every privately rented home in the borough must be licensed by the Council from that date.

Cabinet approved the decision to designate the whole borough as a Selective Licensing Area on 24 June 2014 and have now announced the date licensing will come into effect.
 
The council says its evidence shows that the borough is experiencing a significant and persistent problem caused by anti-social behaviour; and that some private sector landlords are failing to combat the problem. The council believes a Private Rented Property Licence scheme will help by leading to a reduction in, or the elimination of, the problem.

Application forms for a landlord licence will be available online from January 2015. The fee has yet to be set but the council has agreed that applications received between January and April 2015 will benefit from an “early bird discount”.

The licence will run for five years from the date the designation comes into force. During the designation period, Waltham Forest will review the operation of the scheme from time to time.

The council says every landlord will be given “reasonable time” to license their properties but the council will take “firm enforcement action” against landlords who refuse to apply for a licence; this includes carrying out prosecutions if necessary.