An organisation that describes itself as ‘politically independent and a charity’ is launching a probe into how further regulation could help private tenants in London.

The Centre for London says some 27 per cent of London households live in privately rented housing, compared to 19 per cent across all of England.

Growing demand has – in its words – “enabled rogue landlords and poor quality accommodation. But in most parts of London, there’s still no need for landlords to register their property or apply for the right to rent it out.”

The think tank says the recent government proposal to set up a national Property Portal – effectively a register of information about landlords – and the licensing schemes of many individual local councils are ways of helping tenants. 

So it is investigating how this apparent help could be extended further. 

It says: “To find out, we’ll be asking:

1. What do local authorities in London, with or without their own property licensing schemes, want from a national landlord register?

2. What data do local authorities need from a national landlord register to enforce standards in the private rented sector?

3. How could a national landlord register interact with local authorities’ property licensing schemes, and what features would enable them to complement one another?

4. What are the merits of devolving property licensing from national government to London’s city government? Should power in this area be devolved from national government to London?

5. What can we learn from licensing and register schemes in other parts of the UK?”

If a landlord wants to get involved, email [email protected].