Landlord Licensing Plan a Costly Waste of Time and Money

Responding to government plans to make it easier for councils to introduce landlord licensing schemes, Chris Norris, Policy Director for the National Residential Landlords Association, said:

“It makes no sense that whilst planning to create a national database of private landlords, the Government now wants to make it easier for councils to license landlords as well. Ministers must clarify how they plan to prevent the two schemes from duplicating each other. A failure to do so risks them becoming nothing more than cash cows.

“The Government’s plans will remove important safeguards against misuse of council licensing powers. It absolves ministers of any responsibility and will give local authorities free rein to blanket entire towns with unnecessary and costly schemes.

“Data from 2021 to 2023 shows that seven of the top ten most proactive councils issuing improvement notices to private sector landlords did not have selective licensing schemes in place. This clearly demonstrates that licensing schemes do not automatically lead to higher levels of enforcement by councils.”

EAN Breaking News

Breaking News from the team at Estate Agent Networking. Have a new story to share with us? Then please get in contact today! When and where we can we will refer to third party websites with a 'live link back' where news was released first.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Right to Manage: changes to legislation come into effect on Monday

On Monday 3 March further provisions within the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 come into force, including Section 49 which concerns the change of non-residential limit on Right to Manage (RTM) claims. This secondary legislation will mean that residential leaseholders within a mixed-use scheme will qualify for RTM when the commercial element of a…
Read More
Breaking News

Fall in construction workloads, warns Federation of Master Builders

Workloads for small building companies fell by 8% in the last three months of 2024, according to the latest Q4 2024 State of Trade Survey from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB said, “The latest State of Trade Survey, looking at SME construction activity during the last three…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Propertymark response to latest HMRC UK property transactions report

Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark, comments: “Upcoming threshold changes regarding Stamp Duty for those buying in England and Northern Ireland will no doubt have had people aiming to complete with a higher degree of urgency than normal on their new home before the April deadline. “Overall, the figures represent an encouraging underpinning for the housing…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Nationwide House Price Index – Thoughts from the Industry

Latest data from Nationwide showing property prices have risen by 3.9%, here are some thoughts from the industry. Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark: “Year on year it is positive to see progression within the housing market, and it is encouraging to see momentum continue as we head further into 2025. There are still aspects to…
Read More
Breaking News

Nationwide HPI – House price growth remains solid in February

Annual rate of house price growth remained broadly stable in February at 3.9%, compared with 4.1% in January House prices up 0.4% month on month Recovery in housing market transactions in 2024 Headlines Feb-25 Jan-25 Monthly Index* 543.7 541.6 Monthly Change* 0.4% 0.1% Annual Change 3.9% 4.1% Average Price (not seasonally adjusted) £270,493 £268,213 *…
Read More
Home and Living

What’s the Best Sofa for a Cozy Winter Living Room?

Winter transforms living rooms into sanctuaries of warmth and comfort, with the sofa playing a central role in creating that cozy atmosphere. A well-chosen sofa can make the difference between a merely functional space and a truly inviting winter retreat. The ideal winter sofa combines deep, plush cushioning with durable materials like velvet or high-performance…
Read More