Poorly managed rented homes can have a terrible impact on tenants’ health and wellbeing – from leaks that go unfixed to asthma caused by damp and mould.
No one complains about supermarkets and cafes being subject to hygiene standards so why should housing be any different?
That’s why we support the council’s plans to license all landlords in the borough (Croydon Council’s controversial landlord licensing scheme pushed through weeks before Government would ban it, March 17).
The majority of private landlords want rid of the bad ones as much as we do and by requiring landlords to have a licence in order to rent out their properties, the council can ban those that do not comply in one fell swoop.
While it currently takes months to bring just one criminal landlord to book, licensing will make it a lot easier to carry out prosecutions and will also provide support for well-meaning landlords who need help in bringing up standards in their properties.
SIMONE JOHNSTON, ALEX PARSONS, ANDREW TODD AND CHRISTAL ROBINSON
Generation Rent Croydon
- 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 The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.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