14th
May 2014
An Enfield landlord openly stated that the council's proposed new licensing scheme is unfair to those landlords who are leasing their property through the authority’s private sector leasing scheme.
The landlord owns a three bed roomed property that is being leased through the authority and feels that she cannot be held responsible if one of the council's tenants engages in anti social behaviour. Under the scheme her property is being managed by a public sector body, so she rightly feels that the onus of responsibility falls squarely on those who choose the tenants and inspects it.
The partnership between the authority and participating landlords is that a property is leased by the council from three to five years. This is part of the council's strategy to cut down the numbers of homeless people within its boundary. In return the landlords receive rent guarantees from the council and property management is free.
The private landlord is concerned that one of the council's tenants is selling and distributing drugs from her property and that she could be facing a fine under the new licensing scheme. The council introduced the licensing in one of their attempts to curb antisocial behaviour and to keep housing standards at a reasonable level.
Ms Allen , the landlord, said: “I have no control over who lives in the property, so should I be held responsible for the tenant’s antisocial behaviour? I have been made aware by neighbours that one person who lives there is selling drugs and I notified the council. But when I asked the council what action had been taken, they told me this was confidential.”
The council has not made any comments about this specific case however a spokeswoman did say: “Where a property is let to a public body, the matter of where the management and control of the property lies as part of the leasing agreement will determine who needs to address antisocial behaviour.”
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