Unlicensed landlords watch out: Brent street patrols are after you!

 

From Brent Council 

Street surveys crackdown on unlicensed rental homes

 

Enforcement officers have begun patrolling streets in Brent to check whether rental homes are licensed.

 

The first street patrol took place six months following the start of borough-wide licensing. The law states that every landlord who rents out a property in Brent must have a licence to rent, except for Wembley Park.

 

 

Teams were made up of officers covering planning, anti-social behaviour and private housing services. They knocked on the door of every house in Stanley Avenue, Wembley, offering advice on waste management, listening to any concerns about anti-social behaviour and, where the property was a rental home, asking if it was licensed and free of serious hazards.

 

Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council and Cabinet Member for Housing, said:

 

We are receiving licensing applications, but we know there are many more applications still to be made. 

 

We have intelligence on certain streets with evidence to suggest that tenants might be living in unlicensed properties, or in properties that are in breach of planning regulations, and those are the areas we are targeting through our street patrols.

 

No rogue landlord will slip through the net in Brent: if you are a landlord in Brent and your property is unlicensed, we will find you and you will face prosecution and hefty fines.

 

Last week, a landlord whose tenants were paying £3,500 to live in an overcrowded house of horrors, was handed fines totalling nearly £50,000. Willesden Magistrates Court ordered Sanjay Patel to pay £49,495 for breaches to the Housing Act at a semi-detached house that he managed in Vivian Avenue, Wembley.

 

If you are a landlord with an unlicensed property, avoid prosecution and get licensed today

 

You can report a suspected unlicensed rental property to Brent by emailing phslicensing@brent.gov.uk

 

Editor's note the only ward where a landlord is not required to register is Wembley Park. Brent Council said the area did not meet the threshold re anti-social behaviour etc.

Landlords who rent out properties in Dollis Hill, Harlesden & Kensal Green and Willesden Green, will legally be required to have a licence from 1 August - Cost £540 before August 1st, £640 after

 Press release from Brent Council

Landlords called to get licence to rent A new law requiring landlords in three Brent wards to pay for a selective licence will come into force on 1 August 2023. Landlords who rent out properties in Dollis Hill, Harlesden & Kensal Green and Willesden Green, will legally be required to have a licence from 1 August. A licence will cost £640 for up to five years. Anyone who applied in the next few weeks before 1 August will be able to purchase a licence at the current rate of £540. Dollis Hill, Harlesden & Kensal Green and Willesden Green were selected for licensing following a borough-wide consultation that began in autumn 2022. A report to cabinet members showed that a selective licensing scheme would have a positive impact on poor property conditions and high levels of antisocial behaviour in the three areas. Cllr Promise Knight, Cabinet Member for Housing, Homelessness and Renters’ Security, said:  The landlords who work with us take pride in renting out properties that offer decent facilities and living conditions to tenants. The licensing scheme supports landlords in offering the best they can to tenants, ensuring that tenants’ safety and security are protected. We encourage landlords and agents with properties in Dollis Hill, Harlesden & Kensal Green and Willesden Green to apply for a licence as soon as possible. You can find out whether the property you are renting needs a licence by checking out:https://www.brent.gov.uk/prslicensing

Brent Private Renters Union: Brent should follow Hackney in funding rnforcement action on damp and mould in private accommodation

Recently Wembley Matters carried the news that members of the London Renters Union in Hackey had won £400k from Hackney Council to address issues of mould and damp in privately rented accommodation.

Asked for a comment the Brent branch  of London Renters Union said:

 We say well done to Hackney Council - they will invest a further £400,000 in the housing standards enforcement team to crack down on mould and damp. Stronger enforcement means that is harder for landlords to get away with forcing renters into dangerous conditions. This will hopefully improve the health and well-being of tens of thousands of people and raise standards of accommodation.

We hope Brent will follow. 

Although Brent agreed to our demand to try to bring in borough-wide licensing, this on its own won't be sufficient - just look at the level of dangerous hazards in areas that already have licensing, like Mapesbury and Kensal Green. In addition to this, we trust they'll continue to lobby energetically the national government for the protections that private renters deserve. After all, most private renters are handing over a huge percentage of their income to property owners! https://haveyoursay.brent.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/selective-licensing-of-private-rented-housing/1 [ go to pg 29]

Brent launch Landlord Licensing Consultation possibly extending licensing to all wards except Wembley Park

 From Brent Council

 

A borough-wide consultation on landlord licensing for privately rented properties in Brent launched today (31 October 2022) for twelve weeks. The consultation is now live.

The online consultation is open to anyone to have their say on landlord licensing in the borough.

Three types of licensing schemes operate in the borough: mandatory, additional and selective licensing. Selective licensing applies to a single household renting a property, be that a family or just one or two tenants.

This consultation asks people whether they are in favour of selective licensing schemes in Brent.

Cllr Promise Knight, Cabinet Member for Housing, Homelessness & Renters Security, said: 

More than a third of people in Brent rent in the private sector. Whilst most landlords provide safe and decent homes, sadly that isn't always the case.

Licensing has helped keep renters safe. Since we introduced our first selective licensing scheme in 2015, we've driven up housing standards, reduced overcrowding and tackled anti-social behaviour. Where landlords have fallen short, we have been relentless in taking action and will not hesitate to throw the full-force of the law at rogue landlords.

All wards, with the exception of Wembley Park, are being considered for selective licensing in Brent. Selective licensing previously applied to Harlesden, Wembley Central and Willesden Green, and presently applies to the old wards of Queens Park, Kensal Green, Kilburn, Dudden Hill and Mapesbury. But this current scheme ends on 30 April 2023.

Have your say on the licensing consultation today.

Wembley Matters asked Brent Council why Wembley Park was not included and they responded:

Although Wembley Park ward has a high level of rented properties, these tend to be relatively new builds and therefore do not have the high levels of housing hazards that we see in other parts of the borough. Wembley Park has required the least number of interventions from the council with only 28 Housing & Public Health Statutory Notices served over a five-year period.

 

Although there has been a small number of ASB incidents, there is negligible repeat ASB incidents. Therefore the evidence to support a designation based on ASB is also lacking. The council considers it more appropriate to be selective in its approach and focus resources on the worst affected areas. However, this ward will be kept under review and a third designation could be considered should the evidence change.

There may be different hazards in Build to Rent properties but there may well be future problems, remembering the Granville New Homes debacle and problems with L&Q and Metropolitan Thames Valley elsewhere.  Large Build to Rent landlords are not immune from problems.

 

London Renters Union to put their demands to Cllr Butt and Cllr Southwood later this afternoon

 

Following Saturday's very successful and often moving Community Assembly  organised by English for Action, Brent members of the London Renters Union are meeting with Cllr Butt and Cllr Southwood this afternoon to discuss their key demands. Wembley Matters has documented a number of cases locally and here as background are some cases from the LRU:

A recently joined LRU member, a single parent with 6 children, 2 with disabilities, and with English as a second language, had been placed 2 years ago by the council directly into a flat with a rat infestation, thus discharging the duty. When the boiler broke down she tried to complain to the council, but was only told that she could make another homeless application, and not passed on to the enforcement team.

A property guardian facing a 75% rent increase from DotDotDot (partially as his partner moved in, and also a large rent increase on top of that). DotDotDot are a property guardianship company with a contract from Brent council to fill flats in the South kilburn estate - Labour has committe to lobbying to bring the rents down, so why are they letting DDD get away with this? The renters a proposal to run the flats as a short-life housing coop if DotDotDot say it isn't financially viable for them... - https://twitter.com/ldnrentersunion/status/1504518653290725381?s=21

This issue is really draining me mentally, I can’t focus at work, I can’t sleep well nowadays, I can’t eat well and it’s affecting my health. I am scared of being homeless.

 These are LRU's demands as determined by members real life experiences:

1.    Hold Landlords Accountable. Don't give licences to landlords until they prove the accommodation is the right standard. Use your powers to make the landlords fix our problems - and to make them pay when they don’t. Employ more workers to do this with the money from landlords. 

2.   Work with renters. Meet with Brent LRU regularly, and come to a public meeting after the election to show that you are keeping your promises. Tell local people that they can join London Renters Union for solidarity.

3.   The right to stay in our communities. Don't force people to move out of Brent when they come to the council for housing help. Never say that people are "intentionally homeless". Brent’s temporary accommodation is not good enough - tell us your plans to change this.

4.   Reduce Rents. Tell the government to Control Rents to stop landlords increasing the rent when they want.

5.    Support and solidarity. Give us the right to have appointments to see a real person. This is very important for some disabled people, and if English or reading is difficult. No long, difficult online forms. 

6.   Homes for us. Build housing for the working-class. Don't allow new buildings to be only for the rich. Learn how to negotiate with the big companies so we don't always lose and they always profit. 

You can support these deamnds by taking  E-Action to write to your local councillors HERE

 

1.Hold Landlords Accountable

LRU sees licensing as a key tool against the exploitation of renters, and wants to see a strong consultation for borough-wide licensing. However, an effective enforcement strategy is necessary for licensing to be worth it for renters as well as councils, and also for the majority of properties which are unlicensed. 

·       Expand licensing borough-wide, and expand the enforcement team in order to meet the needs of renters.

·       Ensure that all homes meet the minimum energy efficiency standards, fine landlords that are illegally renting F and G rated properties, and create a local economic recovery scheme using GLA funds and local businesses and apprenticeships to get PRS properties up to B rating as per the Climate and Ecological Strategy.

·       Use the new capacity to ensure that landlords meet the terms of the licence before the licence is issued, and through regular inspections until it expires.

·       Use the rent repayment order scheme against landlords who continue to flout the licensing laws.

2.Work With Renters

The council should meet regularly with Brent LRU, and let renters know about the union.

·       Create a liaison point who will promptly respond to any issues involving LRU members

·       The Cabinet Lead for Housing and the Leader should attend a public meeting of renters within the first 6 months of the administration to update on progress on the housing commitments.

 

3.The Right to stay in our communities

Everyone has the right to stay in their community and with their families and support networks. 

·       Brent Council should end the practice of forcing working class people to choose between leaving London or being declared ‘intentionally homeless’ and become at risk of street homelessness - support people to stay in Brent.

·       Brent Council is building temporary accommodation in order to reduce the reliance on private landlords, which we applaud. However, many renters will not be able to access this block - the council should set out minimum safety and quality standards for ‘temporary’ accommodation and take enforcement action against landlords that refuse to meet them. 

·       Councils should ensure they are giving appropriate weight to invisible disabilities such as chronic mental health issues when making housing offers.

 

4. Bring the rents down

Our demand

·       Council leaders should add their voice to the housing movement’s call for rent controls so that no one is forced to pay more than a third of their income on rent.

·       Brent Council should pass a motion calling on the Government to introduce affordable and effective rent controls, and should put pressure on the opposition to back them. Brent Council should collect and publish data on rent levels.

5.   More accessible housing and support

Disabled people, those with English as a second language and with other support needs should be able to get the advice and support they need to exercise their housing rights in a way that works for them. Councils should ensure that both housing itself and advice and support services are as accessible as possible to tenants. Councils should:

·       Ensure that council advice and support is clear, rights-based and easy to access by the individual themselves without needing to rely on another person. Support should be able to be accessed through multiple channels (such as email, telephone, face-to-face), and long and complex online forms should be eliminated.

·       Set out a multi-pronged strategy for informing tenants about their rights, recourse when they are not met, and entitlements to grants such as Disabled Facilities Grant.

·       Set out a clear expectation for landlords and letting agents within the borough to ensure that there are multiple channels of communication through which tenants can approach them.

 

6.  Development

Social housing must be prioritised in all developments. To ensure just and responsible development in Brent, the council must:

·       Prioritise housing the huge numbers of people on the waiting list in new developments. 

·       Build more, larger 4 and 5 bed houses (both council and private developer) to deal with chronic overcrowding in the borough. The waiting list for a three- or four-bedroom council house in Brent is 17 years.

·       Brent Council didn’t respond to journalists about whether it has a strategy for keeping developers to their s106 agreements - how is this happening currently?

 

 

 

 

Brent Council has no record of impact of action against landlords on displaced tenants

None of us are in favour of rogue landlords, over-crowded or dangerous accommodation but when the local and regional press publish celebratory press releases from Brent Council I often wonder about the fate of those displaced by action against such landlords. A possible unintended consequence of the  Council's action.

Do the displaced tenants add to the homelessness figures, are they officially accepted as unintentionally homeless, are children involved,  do some of the displaced end up joining rough sleepers?

I made the following FoI request to Brent Council to try and find out:

Please provide details of tenants displaced as a consequence of action
taken against landlords (overcrowding, unlicensed etc) under the Landlord
Licensing Scheme for the year commencing January 1st 2016.

1. The total number of displacements including children.
2. The status of tenants - single men, single women, couples, children.
3. The nationality/ethnicity of these tenants.
4. The destination/outcomes for these tenants as a result of displacement
eg hostel. temporary accommodation, bed and breakfast hotel, social
housing, referral to homeless charity
5. The total number accepted as homeless by the Council.

The Council replied that they had searched electronic and paper records and they did not hold the information requested.

As it is not tenants, but landlords, who are the guilty party in such cases, I think the lack of any record of impact on people displaced by Council action is a failure of duty of care.

Brent Executive approves Copland land deal and landlord licensing

An unusually garralous Brent Council Executive last night approved the land deal which will see the Copland Community School site and neighouring land handed over to Ark Academy for 125 years. A new secondary school with an additional form of entry will be built away from the High Road (exact position not yet fixed) and nearby Elsley Primary School will double in size.

The Executive set aside issues around development restrictions on the site (although a restrictive covenant caused considerable problems for the Preston Manor expansion) and shrugged off threats of a judicial review from teacher unions.

Jean Roberts, speaking for the tecaher orgabisations, said that they had spoken to local residents in nearby streets who were overwhelmingly against the scheme and concerned about the impact on them as well as rights of way on the school grounds. Local children were playing on the grounds as they spoke to residents who told her that they were starting a petition against the scheme.

Although at pains to stress that this was about a land deal and nothing to do with forced academisation and an Ark takeover of state schools, Executive members nonetheless took the opportunity to attack the former management of the school and the quality of teachers - forgetting perhaps that they had oversight of the school at the time.

The Executive went on to approve an 'Additional'  licensing scheme for landlords in Brent but deferred a decision on 'Selective Licensing' in Wembley Central, Harlesden and Willesden Green.

There will be further consulation over a two month period about what other wards, namely Dudden Hill and Mapesbury, should be included in the Additional Licensing scheme.

The Additional Licensing scheme charge will be set at £550 for the 5 year licensing period. Challenged that this would be passed on to tenants, Muhammed Butt said that landlords would be able to claim it back as part of their business costs.

Margaret McLennan said that the scheme was not about gentrification but bringing private rented properties up to the bare minimum regarding matters like gas safety checks. She said that the scheme would also protect good landlords from bad tenants.

Enforcement will begin in January 2015. The Executive did not discuss the vexed question of potential unintended consequences if landlords evict tenants in order to deal with overcrowding or unsafe premises.