Council’s licensing scheme hopes to tackle rogue landlords

A council has introduced a new licensing scheme in a bid to crack down on rogue landlords.

From September 2, landlords in Lambeth will need a licence to legally let any property to a single-family household in Knights Hill, Streatham Common and Vale, Streatham Hill East and Streatham St Leonards.

Each license will cost £923, to cover the costs of both administering and maintaining.

The scheme, approved by Lambeth’s cabinet in May, hopes to improve property conditions and tackle rogue landlords.

About a third of Lambeth’s more than 144,000 residential homes are in the private rented sector, with official data showing that more than 9,446 are predicted to have a serious home hazard.

Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, Cllr Mahamed Hashi, said: “Those who can’t access social housing often find that renting privately is their only option.

“But there are some who take advantage of their tenants, leaving too many people living in poor conditions or having to deal with the problems caused by overcrowding.

“This licensing scheme will help us tackle these problems head-on- as well as cracking down on rogue landlords.”

Pictured top: Lambeth council HQ (Picture: Robert Firth)