John Biggs a London Assembly Member is concerned about Boris Johnson’s attempts in helping private renters in Barking & Dagenham and other areas in the Capital.

 

He is questioning the Mayor's commitment to help private renters, after it came to light that the current rate of landlords joining the Rental Standard, means that it will take more than one hundred years to reach the target of 100,000 to become involved in the scheme.

The apparent target was promised to be achieved by May 2016, but only an extra 627 landlords have signed up since its inception in May 2014.

John Biggs has damned the lack of progress and believes that the Barking & Dagenham’ s 36,283 private renters will suffer at the hands of “rogue” landlords.

The Mayor in 2012 promised that 100,000 landlords in London, just under a third of the total, would sign up to the new LRS scheme (London Rental Standard). It was eventually launched in May 2014 and requires a minimum set of standards for landlords to follow, as well as a tick list for voluntary landlord accreditation schemes in the Capital.

In May last year ,Johnson "trumpeted" that 13,512 landlords had come on board within the first few days, however since then only another 627 landlords have signed up, despite a costly media and publicity campaign. The Assembly Member calculates that at this rate of progress, it will take a further 103 years to reach the target of 100,000 landlords.

John Biggs, the London Assembly Member said: “With 36,283 people in Barking & Dagenham now living in private rented housing, it’s staggering that the Mayor can be so brazen about his failure to drive up standards in the sector.  Boris Johnson’s abysmal record is made clear by the fact that with little more than a year to go he has signed up just 14% of the 100,000 landlords he promised by May 2016.

“At the current rate, it will take over one hundred years before the Mayor meets his target to accredit 100,000 landlords.

“We need real change in the private rented sector. Londoners need the peace of mind and security of longer tenancy agreements, caps on annual rent increases and an end to no fault evictions. Instead Boris Johnson’s half-hearted approach is failing private renters in Tower Hamlets and leaving them with little protection from bad landlords.”