National Landlords Association rails against selective licensing

The licensing scheme could see private landlords being forced to apply for a licence before they are allowed to rent out their properties.

The licence – which could cost between £500 and £600 for five years – would only be given to landlords who were able to provide tenant references and were fully compliant with health and safety measures across each of their rental properties.

The NLA believes that selective licensing will unfairly punish law-abiding landlords, as well as being expensive for councils to manage. It does not believe that it will help to stamp out blights on the sector, such as poor housing standards, anti-social behaviour or low housing demand. Increasing numbers of local councils are rolling out selective licensing schemes “where there is little substantial evidence to justify them”, the organisation claimed.

The body has created a social media campaign against the introduction of selective licensing in parts of England and hopes to encourage councils to abandon the concept.

Chairman of the NLA, Carolyn Uphill, told LocalGov.co.uk: “Selective licensing is a powerful tool at the disposal of local authorities, but it is only one of many available and should only be used when appropriate.

“Licensing is expensive and has the potential to have a disproportionate impact on the compliant majority who are not at fault while allowing the criminal minority to continue beneath the radar,” she added.

Ms Uphill went on to say that councils should be making use of the “vast array of existing powers available to them” in order to stamp out criminality in the sector. The NLA confirmed that it saw targeted intelligence-led enforcement as a far better solution to crack down on rogue operators in the letting sector than selective licensing.

“We want to encourage co-operation between councils and landlords, and believe accreditation is a better way to encourage this, and give tenants confidence in their landlord,” Ms Uphill concluded.