Have your say on new Private Rented Sector Property Licensing Schemes

The private rented sector in Islington has grown considerably over recent years, with a number of landlords providing poorly managed and unsafe homes. The council is consulting on licensing for private rented sector properties to help offer more protection for private renters.

We are aiming to tackle problems of poor housing, anti-social behaviour and crime, to protect the health, safety and welfare of the occupants, and to improve the areas where these problems are most significant.

About property licensing and existing schemes

Property licensing helps us to regulate the condition and management of private rented properties in the borough. We license properties to:

• improve property standards and management
• protect our residents from rogue landlords
• help reduce other problems caused by poorly managed privately rented accommodation, such as anti-social behaviour and waste management issues.

There are three licensing schemes currently in operation in Islington:

• Mandatory – a borough-wide scheme for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) covering five or more people from two or more households who are sharing one or more basic facilities such as a bathroom and/or kitchen. This type of licensing has been in place across the country since 2006 and does not expire.
• Additional – a borough-wide discretionary scheme, covering smaller HMOs occupied by 3 or 4 people who are not members of the same household, who share kitchen and/or bathroom facilities. It also includes properties converted into self-contained flats where the conversion work was not carried out in accordance with the Building Regulations 1991.
• Selective – a discretionary scheme adopted for single and two-person household properties or a single family, it is currently covering three wards - Finsbury Park, Hillrise and Tollington.

Our proposal

The proposal comprises two parts:

1. Our Additional Licensing scheme for small HMOs covering all wards is due expire in February 2026 and we believe, having reviewed the evidence, that it should be extended for another five years.
2. A nine ward expansion of the Selective Licensing scheme is also proposed to include Barnsbury, Caledonian, Tufnell Park, Mildmay, Highbury, Junction, Laycock, Canonbury, and Clerkenwell, as they meet the criteria and would benefit from the adoption of scheme.

For more information about the proposal, including the proposed license conditions and fees, please read the documents included in the Documents section.

We want to hear your views