Message to Sir Robin: If Oxford Can Do It, Why Can't Newham?
It often seems that if there is one thing Newham has more of than fried chicken shops, it's letting agents. And thanks the the End Child Poverty campaign, we know there are 6,600 Newham children who are growing up in temporary accommodation, mostly in properties that are privately owned and managed and many that are sub-standard.
Bad housing affects every aspect of a child’s life, from their health and safety to educational attainment and likelihood of poverty in adulthood, which is why one of End Child Poverty's priorities in Newham has been ask local people to help name and shame offending temporary rental companies (see PDF flyer here). Using this information, campaigners aim to get landlords to sign up to a decent homes charter, helping to improve the homes of hundreds of families across the borough.
But it wouldn't be necessary to leave this important issue to local campaigners if Newham council decided to act boldly. Last week the Oxford Mail reported that Oxford City Council intends to adopt new powers the government is introducing in April, which are designed to clamp down on bad landlords and improve the quality of private rented accommodation. The council plans to set up a compulsory licensing scheme for all new and existing private landlords and if they don’t comply with the standards set out in the license, they could be prosecuted and face a fine of up to £20,000.
Newham has a Landlord Accreditation Scheme but it is entirely voluntary, which means there is little incentive for cowboy landlords to cough up £75 to join it. So the message to Newham's Mayor Sir Robin Wales is simple: if Oxford can act decisively and if substandard homes affect the futures of hundreds of local children, why can't Newham act too and making licensing compulsory?
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Maybe its because in reality they just dont care. The only thing that robin weasel wales cares about is staying in power.
I would have thought that after the exposure on TV last night, he may well have to re consider. Having said that, once again the Council almost managed to look good!
Kevin, there are a lot of mistakes in your posting.
====> "6,600 Newham children who are growing up in temporary accommodation, mostly in properties that are privately owned and managed and many that are sub-standard.".
What evidence do you have to say that these properties are sub-standard?. When the Council takes properties, they place higher demands on private landlords then on the council's own properties.
I was told that if I wanted to rent out my property to the Council, I would have to provide a fire extinguisher, fire blanket, a smoke alarm (electrically operated), carbon monoxide alarm, new carpets, new painting etc...... Where would you rather have people in high rise council flats on in private rental sector?
Levin, you have misunderstood what Oxford City Council is trying to do. They want to drive students out of the area. This is SOCIAL ENGINEERING.
This is little nothing do with cracking down on bad landlords. They want to make it harder for landlords to rent to students by imposing HMO licensing. For instance renting to a family would not require a HMO license, as it is a single family and not a House in Multiple Occupation (i.e. more then one household).
Perhaps you should research the costs of getting a HMO license. It can vary from £1000 to £2000 and only valid for 3 years.
On top of that you have to make many modifications to the property. For instance replacing every door with one hour fire proof door (that is £300 per door). Have no objection on kitchen door, but other doors are over the top.
So if I rent to a family of 4, I don't need an HMO license. But if a rent to 3 friends sharing, I will need a HMO license. Does it make sense?
Aside from the cost of the HMO license the cost of re-fitting the property to meet HMO licensing it thousands of pounds.
At the end of the day, all these costs drive up rent for the tenant.
I have no objection to good standards e.g. property must have double glazing, gas safety check, electricity check etc.... but why should Council be responsible for issuing licenses? They are rip off people. It costs £225 for a Chartered Surveyor, why not get them to issue HMO licenses?. Plus they run at a profit!
====> "Newham has a Landlord Accreditation Scheme but it is entirely voluntary, which means there is little incentive for cowboy landlords to cough up £75 to join it."
If a Landlord has properties in several Councils. Is he obliged to join every Council's scheme?. Is he expected to attend every Council training course?.
I suggest you look at www.rightmove.co.uk and pick the top 10 properties and phone the letting agent to ask if the Landlord is a member of Newham Landlord Accreditation Scheme. I think you will find the answer to be ZERO.
=====> "So the message to Newham's Mayor Sir Robin Wales is simple: if Oxford can act decisively and if substandard homes affect the futures of hundreds of local children, why can't Newham act too and making licensing compulsory?"
They have already done it!. Newham Council has introduced compulsory licensing for ALL properties in Little Ilford and comes into effect on 1 March 2010.
Even if you are an accredited landlord, you still need a license for EACH property in Little Ilford. I wonder if Newham Council has informed the Landlords they need a license, as there is a £20,000 fine.
It is not cheap to get a license and it will need renewing. Whilst the Council claims it is to improve the area. I am not sure how paying £500 to £2,000 to Newham Council for a license will improve the standard of the property?
If the cost of the license cannot be covered by the rent, then it divert money that would be spend on refurbishment of the property into the hands of Newham Council.
There will be pressure to increase rents and they will go up by £42 per month (assuming the license is £500). Newham is one of the most deprived Borough. Is imposing a tax on tenants fair?
Should tenants in Newham be be subsidising the cost of Council services?.
A few links:
Link #1
http://www.lettingzone.com/landlord-letting-news/1232/newham-leads-the-way-in-landlord-licensing-
Link #2
http://www.newham.gov.uk/Housing/PrivateSectorHousing/HousesInMultipleOccupation/LittleIlfordPilotNeighbourhoodImprovementZone.htm?Printable=true
Link #3
http://www.24dash.com/news/Local_Government/2009-11-30-London-borough-becomes-first-local-authority-in-the-South-of-England-to-be-granted-innovative-community-improvement-powers
Link #4
http://www.newham.gov.uk/Housing/PrivateSectorHousing/HousesInMultipleOccupation/SelectiveLicensing.htm
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