Southwark Selective Licensing – and My Views on Licensing

Southwark Selective Licensing And so, it finally happens. By hook or by crook and some boxing clever we have managed to avoid all forms of licensing – both the HMO varieties and the Selective Licensing variety. Until now. Now, the game is up. Funny name isn’t it, “Selective Licensing”? Because usually when it is done, a local authority does it […]

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Private Rented Sector Quoted in the Media

Recent press comments from me on the private rented sector….. Private Rented Sector Quoted in the Media On the policies of successive governments towards the private rented sector: “….Too often policy is confused and contradictory and too often the changes that have been made offer far too little to landlords and tenants in terms of improving the private rented sector.” […]

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Some Sympathy for Landlord Licensing in Southwark

David Lawrenson of LettingFocus.com has some sympathy for councils over landlord licensing. He calls on central government to make penalties for criminal landlords far harsher and let the councils keep the cash raised. He also questions whether licensing of landlords is being abused and used as a tool to deal with criminals offending on a wider basis. Some Sympathy for Landlord […]

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Newham’s Universal Landlord Licensing Approach Not Popular with Local Authorities

Most housing options staff at the councils are not in favour of Newham’s universal landlords licensing scheme says David Lawrenson of LettingFocus.com Many private landlords labour under the assumption that the local authorities are simply there to make life hard for them. But actually that is not usually true: There are a lot of people at the councils who see […]

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Why More Buy to Let Landlords Means More Landlord Licensing Schemes

David Lawrenson of LettingFocus notes the big rise in buy to let lending and how everyone wants to be a landlord now. Plus he fears an increase in the regulatory burden. Many years ago and time and again I predicted that the private rented sector (PRS) would grow bigger than social housing. And many times I was shouted down by […]

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London Local Authorities and the Private Rented Sector

LettingFocus despairs of the approach adopted by one London Council in dealing with its private rented sector. We have just been sent an invitation to tender from a London local authority. In the invitation they identify that they need to do some work to improve their local private rented sector, which now forms a substantial 30% plus of all housing […]

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