Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Private Rented Property Licensing – Consultation ends on 5 March
Tackling criminal landlords and cracking down on anti-social behaviour are at the heart of Haringey Council's proposals to license private rented properties.
As part of the consultation that finishes on the 5th March, residents are being invited to give their views on plans to roll out two licensing schemes:
A Haringey-wide licensing scheme covering all houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) and
A targeted scheme for all privately rented homes in parts of the borough with the biggest problems.
Under the proposals, landlords covered by the schemes would be required to keep their properties safe and well maintained and deal with any problems associated with their tenants such as fly-tipping, untidy gardens and other anti-social behaviour. If landlords fail to meet the standards set out in their licence then the council can take enforcement action.
This link has more information and the questionnaire to fill in - the council especially wants to hear from landlords and tenants who rent privately.
http://www.haringey.gov.uk/housing/housing-consultations/current-ho...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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I'm sorry but you're like a healthy person arguing against paying health insurance premiums (National Insurance). All landlord's have to pay, including the ones that behave, otherwise the system won't work.
Oh, you're going to put rent up to cover this are you? The only opportunity landlord's get to put rent up is every 12 months when the contract comes to an end. Good luck doing it anything other than that and for any more than the usual 3% you get away with because of moving costs and hassle.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Doesn’t work like that in local government finance. The cost of the operation is worked out and then how to cover the costs. In this case it is cost neutral (so the cost of the scheme is covered by income). The income projections are of course that, projections, but would be based on the number of known properties that may fall within the licensing scheme. It may be that in the course of the scheme operating, when feet are on the ground, more eligible properties are found but the costing has to start from available data and the probable number that can be licensed in each year.
The increase in the number of licences issued towards the end of the 5 year period sounds right to me. During the course of the work of this team they will uncover more and more properties that have not registered as HMOs or need to be included in the scheme. As uncovering this information is cumulative, and investigations into ownership can be tortuous, it would be inevitable that larger number will be issued towards the end of the 5 years.
The salary costs are not what staff will be paid. The spend on salaries includes things like employers contributions which are around 20-22% on top of paid salaries. The salary costs are further inflated by things like paid sick leave, maternity leave and so on.
On a slightly different note, all this is doing is shifting the cost from general and local taxation (government grant and council tax income) to those targeted by the scheme. I think that this is right as, at the moment, it’s my money and my neighbours' money that pays to sort out the problems caused by poorly managed privately rented accommodation. As I don’t make a penny from rent I think that’s fair.
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Five years worth of staff in London for £7.4 million. Let's divide by 5 and presume nobody gets a raise. That's 1.5 million or so a year. Given what they're supposed to be doing this sounds perfectly reasonable to me. Think of it as more well paid tenants who can afford to rent one of your flats. There is a calculator here where you can work out the true cost of actually employing someone rather than just renting a home to them
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You're not taking into account Microsoft licenses, a PC, a DESK, an OFFICE!!! You think all this comes from the council tax I pay? You think that the council should provide the staff to keep an eye on the borough's landlord's at MY expense? No, I think the charge for "plant" as we call it will be about £40K a year per person and some of them will be on £400 a day contracts. You guys can pay for that. If you think you can pass it on to tenants, go for it.
If you want to pay someone to do this job on £30K a year, IN LONDON, you're mean. Not only that but I bet you wouldn't rent a flat to them on that salary, not even a room.
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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I always estimated that true employee costs were about double the salary paid. John's calculator suggests £54.500 for someone on 30k.
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My understanding was that housing benefit is paid to the tenant, not the landlord ?
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There is this group of people locally that, every four years, knock on every door in the borough and speak to whomever is home. I keep wondering if they could also help them out with education around recycling and rubbish disposal but perhaps that's another thing they could be doing.
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No, that's when you're rolled into the "Universal Credit" nightmare. Not sure it's a thing in Haringey yet.
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Permalink Reply by Zena Brabazon on
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You are right John, Universal Credit will be a nightmare! We need to have a roll out plan to inform people about what is coming, how it works, and the pitfalls. I have suggested this, as I think the sooner a group is working on this, with the CAB, DWP and other agencies, the better.
Zena
Zena Brabazon
Cllr, Harringay Ward
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I think that is right, and certainly with universal credit that is the case, and will cause very great problems for many people who have low incomes. It was better when it went directly to the landlord.
Zena Brabazon
Cllr, Harringay ward
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Property owners can be identified through the Land Registry. But I will also check with the officers about how landlords are identified. Can I also suggest you ask this question through the consultation process.
Zena
Zena Brabazon
Cllr, Harringay Ward
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The sad thing is that moaning on HarringayOnline is WAY easier than submitting to any consultation ever done by Haringey Council and despite the vociferous left wing opposition one may find on here, far less patronising.
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