I note on the front page of the Guardian (Cash Crisis, October 8) that Councillor Alison Butler refers to the funding gap at the council.
This confirms my suspicion that the proposed Labour bedroom tax in Croydon that the private tenants will be paying, passed on by landlords if the proposed licensing scheme goes ahead, is the solution to this gap.
Very interestingly this same councillor, in a later article (Blaze flat landlords are fined for licence breach), states: “This case goes to show the potential danger of an unregulated private rental sector which is why we are consulting over proposals to introduce a landlord licensing scheme which will give protection to private tenants from rogue landlords”.
The same article confirms the property in question had five unconnected tenants and that existing regulations required the landlords to have a licence, but they ignored the regulations.
Quite how that supports Alison Butler’s view that a licensing scheme will stop this kind of practice is a mystery to me.
Rather an own goal I feel, claiming that a licensing scheme would solve a problem it clearly did not solve. Bad landlords will ignore the scheme, which will just pick on the good landlords unfairly and lead to increased rents or a reduced supply of rental stock if the good landlord sell up and invest elsewhere where there is a supportive council.
A very ill-thought-through proposal that will probably lose Central Croydon for Labour next May.
If it goes ahead that is what they deserve.
GERRY MEREDITH-SMITH
Sandilands
- Send your letters to: letters@croydonguardian.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here