HomeLatest NewsCouncils urged to drop Landlord Licensing Schemes
Councils urged to drop Landlord Licensing Schemes
Posted on 02/11/2015 by Sulgrave Estates
Local Councils are being urged to drop landlord licensing schemes following measures in the new Housing and Planning Bill which makes it clear that local authorities can use council tax registration forms to ask tenants for details of a property and its landlord. Under the Bill, local authorities also have the power to use information that is held by the tenant deposit schemes to enforce regulations in the private rented sector.
The Residential Landlords Associations (RLA) is calling on councils to drop their licensing schemes as they can now gather the information required without levying expensive license fees on landlords, which ultimately get passed onto tenants in higher rents. Brandon Lewis, the Housing Minister, recently dubbed such licensing as a “tenants tax”.