Tougher rules for Hackney landlords on the way, council hints

Cllr Sem Moema, deputy cabinet member for the private rented sector and housing affordability. Photograph: London Assembly

Rules that would make it harder for Hackney’s property owners to become landlords could be on the way next year, the council has suggested.

The Town Hall confirmed that its policy of selective licensing was under expert review, with a report expected in a matter of weeks.

Selective licensing makes it mandatory for owners to meet certain conditions, such as the decent homes standard, before they rent out properties.

At a meeting of the full council last Wednesday, deputy cabinet member for the private rented sector and housing affordability, Cllr Sem Moema (Labour), confirmed the council’s wish to extend its licensing scheme, which ended in September 2023.

Cllr Moema was pressed on the matter by Cllr Zoë Garbett (Green), who asked: “Renters need help with housing standards. What happened to Hackney’s selective landlord licensing scheme, and when will an application for borough-wide selective licensing be submitted?”

Cllr Moema urged support from the whole council for this “fundamental and critical project, focused on improving the private rented sector in Hackney for everybody”.

While the new licensing scheme would be subject to final review, Moema said the council was aiming for a public consultation strategy by the end of the year.

Under the previous scheme, all owners have had to seek approval from the council if they let out properties in Brownswood, Cazenove or Stoke Newington.

Landlords also needed the council’s permission before they could let out properties housing three or more unrelated sharers, also called houses in multiple occupation or HMOs.

The council did not confirm how long its consultation would last.

Cllr Moema said the Town Hall had been lobbying central government to devolve powers for the licensing of landlords to avoid the “highly costly and bureaucratic processes” of seeking permission from the Secretary of State.

She agreed that renting in the borough, now the “only option” for many, left a lot to be desired.

“It’s a disgrace that so many families are denied a stable and secure home,” she said, blaming the previous Conservative government’s “abject failure” to protect renters and provide “genuinely affordable housing”.

Cllr Moema added: “I therefore commend the new Labour government for moving so quickly to bring forward a renters’ rights bill, which will start to implement the much-needed fixes to the private renting system.

“In Hackney, we’ve long been committed to change. We’ve successfully lobbied for the abolition of Section 21 notices, banning orders for rogue landlords, bans on letting fees and an end to the disgraceful practice of rent auctions.”

Cllr Moema said the council’s drafted private sector housing strategy was currently out to consultation with the public.

Cllr Garbett welcomed the progress, but reminded the council that a full licensing scheme had been promised by 2024.