A London council is using a private company to introduce a landlord licensing regime.

Croydon council is from Friday of this week introducing two licensing schemes.

From this date, selective licensing will apply to privately rented homes in 14 wards, whilst additional HMO licensing will apply across the borough to HMOs with three or four people from two or more households. 

Larger HMOs with five or more people are already covered by mandatory HMO licensing.

A statement from the council says: “The schemes will set clear standards for landlords and give the council a better understanding of privately rented homes across Croydon, helping to identify where improvements are needed.”

Unusually the council has appointed a private firm – The Oyster Partnership – to help facilitate the regime.

The council claims the firm will handle applications, check documents, answer questions and carry out inspections where required. 

There are two contracts with Oyster – the first is costing the council £6,301,350 including VAT, and the second costing £8,483,904 including VAT.

The Oyster Partnership’s website says: “Property and Real Estate is at the heart of what we do here at Oyster. Spanning all aspects of the built environment, we partner with Developers, Investors, REITs, Consultancies and the Public Sector to deliver the best people to fulfil your ambitions and drive business growth. If you have a vested interest in bricks and mortar, we can help.”

Croydon council claims that a “dedicated team will process applications, check documents, answer questions and carry out property inspections where needed. They will also support landlords and managing agents through the application process.”

But it insists that it will remain responsible for the schemes and will make the final decisions on licences – and it will be  responsible for enforcement.