Ealing Council is consulting on proposals to introduce a licencing scheme for private landlords.
The council is proposing that all houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) should be licensed. At the moment only certain larger HMOs in Ealing are licensed.
The council is also proposing licensing for all other privately rented homes (not just HMOs) in the five wards of Acton Central, East Acton, South Acton, Southall Green and Southall Broadway. The council says these wards have been selected because they have high numbers of privately rented homes in poor condition and there are significant problems with anti-social behaviour.
The council has opened a 12-week public consultation.
Under the new proposals a licenced landlord would have to comply with several conditions relating to the management and condition of the property, including gas, electrical, fire safety and the facilities provided. A written tenancy agreement would be required and anti-social behaviour by tenants would not be permitted.
Councillor Ranjit Dheer, cabinet member for safety, culture and community services, said: “All our residents deserve decent, safe homes to live in, and we are determined to raise standards in the borough’s private rented sector to help us achieve this.
“Underlying the proposals to expand the private rental licensing scheme in Ealing is the serious issue of poorly managed properties which pave the way for sub-standard living conditions and anti-social behaviour. Our proposals will give us the opportunity to drive up standards and robustly tackle unscrupulous landlords.”
