Another London council is planning a massive expansion of its selective licensing regime.

Greenwich council currently has selective licensing across five wards but wants to expand this to up to 18 wards, covering almost three quarters of the council’s patch.

A statement about a consultation on the expansion says: “Since selective licensing was introduced in 2022, it has improved safety standards, reduced hazards, and helped reduce property related anti-social behaviour in the areas where it operates, so we’re proposing to expand the scheme to cover 70% of the borough.” 

A spokesperson says:“We believe residents who rent privately should live in safe, well-managed and high-quality homes. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. 

“A recent review has identified 12 additional wards we believe should be covered by the selective licensing scheme. While most landlords provide good quality homes, evidence shows a proportion of properties in the proposed areas are poorly maintained or badly managed.  

“Your views and experiences will help refine our proposal to ensure responsible landlords are supported, every renter can feel proud of their home, and rogue or criminal landlords and agents are identified and removed from the sector. 

“This consultation is on top of other work we are doing around HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) as part of our wider goal to ensure all private properties are safe to live in and neighbourhoods are supported.” 

Since the beginning of 2025, the authority says it’s inspected 622 licensed properties and claims to have helped landlords resolve 2,103 hazards.