London council reveals UK's most expensive selective licencing

Letting agents and landlords in one of London’s biggest boroughs are to face an almost borough-wide selective schemes following a consultation launched by Lambeth.

It wants to introduce a £923 per property scheme in 23 of its 25 wards beginning in September 2024 with a four-ward scheme in the southern end of the borough (Streatham Common & Vale, Knight’s Hill, Streatham St Leonard’s and Streatham Hill East).

This will not need permission from Whitehall but the council then wants to add a further 19 wards in 2025, which will require the Secretary of State’s approval.

The stepped approach is to allow the council to tackle the areas with the worst housing conditions first.

Lambeth says it wants to hear the views of landlords, tenants and letting agents on the scheme.

Most expensive

But many may wonder why Lambeth has decided to charge so much, which will make it the most expensive selective licencing scheme in the UK.

Lambeth has form here – it already operates London’s most expensive HMO licencing scheme.

Cllr Maria Kay (pictured), Lambeth’s Cabinet Member for Housing & Homelessness, says: “We have already taken significant action to tackle poor standards in the private rented sector, and although most landlords operating in Lambeth provide our residents with decent, well managed and safe homes, we continue to uncover renters living in hazardous and unacceptable conditions.

““We are focussed on improving health and wellbeing and reducing inequalities for people in Lambeth. That’s why we have launched our consultation on the private rented property sector as part of our commitment to addressing these issues.”

The licence will require landlords to meet 22 conditions and, if they are not able to, must use a letting agent or other third party to run the property instead. Read more about Lambeth’s licencing push.

The consultation runs until Monday 4 March 2023.