Come what may Croydon Council is going ahead with making their landlord licensing scheme mandatory for all private landlords, those not joining up will be prosecuted.

Council officers have submitted strong recommendations that this week’s cabinet meeting (Monday 16th March), should fast track the selective landlord licensing scheme across the council’s boundaries.

Once again the council upholds the licence scheme as a beacon of light to kick out rogue landlords and offer protection to tenants.

The council went through the consultation process and despite the landlords’ opposition and even its Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell, who has openly criticized it, will go ahead regardless. It has to be reported that the majority of tenants are in favour of the scheme.

 

It will cost landlords, for a five year licence, a fee of £750 for each of their properties. However the council will allow a considerably lower charge of £350 per property, if landlords stump up within the first three months of the scheme’s implementation.

The penalty for not registering will be a massive £20,000 fine with the threat, that in some cases, the councils would take over management duties of the properties of unregistered landlords.

Besides having to pay the licence fees, landlords will be tasked to ensure that their privately rented properties will have to be kept “ship-shape”, they will also have to clamp down on anti-social behaviour by their tenants.

Croydon has in the region of 30,000 privately rented homes.

Councillor Alison Butler, cabinet member for homes and regeneration applauds the scheme as it will "make Croydon a better place to rent.

"I know many residents support our proposals because badly-kept properties blight our streets.

 

"Antisocial behaviour is everyone's problem, but too often we find a minority of private landlords whose failure to act damages communities.

"This licence will give peace of mind to responsible tenants and landlords looking to thrive in Croydon. It's the dodgy landlords who should be worried."

Mr. Barwell, the Tory MP, has been tirelessly drumming up campaigns against the scheme, feels it will only add to tenant’s worries as the cost will have to be passed back onto them. He also feels that measures to counter rogue landlords already exist.

Barwell said: "Why is the council doing something that affects all private landlords, instead of dealing with those properties where there is a problem?"

The Labour councillor Sarah Jones, who will be running for Barwell’s seat in the General Election, is wholly behind the cabinets’ decision to go ahead with the licensing scheme.

Richard Merrick, of PIMS, said : “ Landlords are not only being told to Border Control checks, they are now being forced by Councils to become, in effect,  a part of the Community Police Force....and pay for the privilege.”