More than 300 landlords have applied for a new licence brought in this summer by Tory controlled Kensington and Chelsea council in London.

It introduced the new additional licensing scheme on June 1 and claims it will “drive up housing standards and enforce against criminal landlords operating HMOs … [and] offers a new layer of protection for tenants, identifying licensed and responsible landlords.”

Council research shows there are approximately 2,400 privately rented properties that have what it calls “the most serious hazards” whilst many are poorly managed and are associated with anti-social behaviour.

Since the scheme came, 325 new licence applications have been received.

Under previous mandatory licensing rules, the council was only able only license around 185 properties.  

A council spokesperson says: “Everyone deserves a safe home and we welcome landlords providing good places to live. This new licensing scheme is already identifying responsible landlords. This is going to make it easier for our officers to identify the properties where landlords persistently provide poorly managed housing to their tenants and take enforcement action.

“I’m grateful to those who have been proactive in getting the new licence so quickly. This is about making housing safer and fairer. Bad landlords should take this as their notice that we won’t tolerate poor quality housing in our borough.”