14th
Nov 2016
At a meeting held earlier this month, the London Assembly passed a motion to demand devolved powers from the government so it can “improve standards of private rented accommodation.”
This is will apply even more pressure upon the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, to make this a priority when he finalises the devolution agreement with the government.
The PSE - Public Sector Executive's report highlights that all individual London boroughs are solely responsible for the enforcement of letting agents and landlords' conduct and operate a different structure of licence schemes. It claims that by doing so some boroughs simply do not have the necessary funds or staff to carry out their role efficiently.
Assembly Member Sian Berry who was responsible for the motion, said:“My recent survey of London’s renters highlighted the desperate need they feel for better standards and regulation of the private rented sector to stop them being exploited by landlords.
“Further devolution of powers is an appropriate response to this need and has already proved to be successful in Wales and Scotland. There is no reason London cannot follow these positive models to implement consistent, city-wide standards for housing.”
The Public Sector Executive's report also highlighted that it felt some of the motion's content showed that the Assembly did not have the confidence in the mayor's negotiations, and that he was not going far enough regarding the control of the private rented sector.
The London Assembly is hoping to pressure Khan to arrange meetings for his team and their Welsh and Scottish counterparts who with their own devolved powers, have a higher control over their PRS. It is hoping that the London team will “learn about the benefits of this approach.” and will gain the same powers.
Throughout the Capital there are approximately 2 million people living in private rented accommodation and it is forecasted that by 2025 around 41% of households will be in private rented 'homes'. Since October 2000 home ownership in London has fallen by 13.5%.
Assembly Member Tom Copley, who seconded the motion, said that in the near future numbers of renters will catch up on the number of homeowners and “it’s absurd that regulation remains so patchy”.
“Boroughs have shown willing but they’re lacking appropriate government funding and renters are confronted with a postcode lottery,
“Instead of forcing Londoners to put up with unreasonable letting agency fees, rogue landlords and poor standards, the government needs to give City Hall a greater hand in regulating the sector. We’ve seen it work effectively in other parts of the UK, it’s a matter of fairness that London’s renters should come to expect the same.”
Richard Merrick said: "Although many landlords reading this may feel that because they are renting out property in other regions, this may not affect them. However more and more areas are currently in negotiations to take on more responsibility/powers.
"Despite the North East devolution being put on hold, Greater Manchester has its own devolved powers for healthcare likewise with the West Midlands. It is only a matter of time before greater control of the private rented accommodation is handed over to the larger authorities, to 'police' with a standard policy of mandatory licensing."
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