News

03.11.16

London Assembly calls for devolved powers to tackle private landlord exploitation

The London Assembly has backed a motion to seek devolved powers in order to improve standards of private rented accommodation.

At a meeting yesterday, the Assembly voted in favour of a motion to press London mayor Sadiq Khan to emphasise powers over the private rented sector in his devolution negotiations with the government.

Currently, individual borough councils must take responsibility for licensing landlords and enforcing landlord and letting agent conduct. The London Assembly said they do not always have the resources to do so effectively.

Sian Berry AM, who proposed 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 text of the motion noted that Khan’s current negotiations “may not go far enough” regarding rental accommodation.

Assembly members said they would urge the mayor to arrange a meeting between his team and their counterparts in Wales and Scotland, which are being granted wider powers over rental accommodation, to learn about the benefits of this approach. They said London should then seek the same set of powers.

Currently, over 2 million Londoners live in private rented accommodation. According to housing charity Shelter, 41% of all households in the capital will live in private rented accommodation by 2025, meaning rented accommodation will be a bigger sector than owner-occupier for the first time since the 1960s.

The growth of rented accommodation in London is linked to rising house prices, with home ownership falling by 13.5 percentage points since its peak in October 2000.

Tom Copley AM, who seconded the motion, said that in an age when the number of renters is closing in on the number of homeowners, “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,” he added.

“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.”

The DCLG is currently consulting on proposals to expand councils’ mandatory licensing powers, meaning a greater range of rental properties will be subject to safety standards.

(Image c. Ray Wewerka)

Have you got a story to tell? Would you like to become a PSE columnist? If so, click here.

 

Comments

There are no comments. Why not be the first?

Add your comment

public sector executive tv

more videos >

latest news

View all News

comment

Peter Kyle MP: It’s time to say thank you this Public Service Day

21/06/2019Peter Kyle MP: It’s time to say thank you this Public Service Day

Taking time to say thank you is one of the hidden pillars of a society. Bei... more >
How community-led initiatives can help save the housing shortage

19/06/2019How community-led initiatives can help save the housing shortage

Tom Chance, director at the National Community Land Trust Network, argues t... more >

editor's comment

25/10/2017Take a moment to celebrate

Devolution, restructuring and widespread service reform: from a journalist’s perspective, it’s never been a more exciting time to report on the public sector. That’s why I could not be more thrilled to be taking over the reins at PSE at this key juncture. There could not be a feature that more perfectly encapsulates this feeling of imminent change than the article James Palmer, mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, has penned for us on p28. In it, he highlights... read more >

last word

Prevention: Investing for the future

Prevention: Investing for the future

Rob Whiteman, CEO at the Chartered Institute of Public Finance (CIPFA), discusses the benefits of long-term preventative investment. Rising demand, reducing resource – this has been the r more > more last word articles >

interviews

Artificial intelligence: the devil is in the data

17/12/2018Artificial intelligence: the devil is in the data

It’s no secret that the public sector and its service providers need ... more >

the raven's daily blog

Cleaner, greener, safer media: Increased ROI, decreased carbon

23/06/2020Cleaner, greener, safer media: Increased ROI, decreased carbon

Evolution is crucial in any business and Public Sector Executive is no different. Long before Covid-19 even became a thought in the back of our minds, the team at PS... more >
read more blog posts from 'the raven' >

public sector events

events calendar

back

August 2020

forward
mon tue wed thu fri sat sun
27 28 29 30 31 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 1 2 3 4 5 6

featured articles

View all News