New landlord licensing scheme is live
Landlords who rent out shared housing in Camden must now have a licence. The scheme applies to house shares, converted flats, student homes and bedsits - also known as Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).
To ensure better living conditions for Camden residents who live in shared housing, our licensing scheme will include property inspections and advice for landlords on any improvements they need to make to their property.
Security for tenants
More than 20,000 residents privately rent shared housing in Camden – and this number’s growing.
When we surveyed these homes we found health and safety issues, fire hazards, poor security and excess cold, which can cause mould and damp.
Licensing will help to put a stop to these problems, provide better standards and give tenants stronger rights to challenge bad landlords.
Councillor Patricia Callaghan, Cabinet Member for Housing, said:
“We face a housing crisis in Camden and need initiatives like licensing to help us tackle it. Good quality and safe housing impacts residents’ quality of life and that’s why it’s so important that we’re introducing this.
“Everyone has a right to good quality housing, and often private renters are forced to live in the worst conditions. The Council’s working to change this as part of our commitment to making Camden a place for everyone.
“Residents called for us to do more to improve standards and we had overwhelming support for the proposals from our consultation.
“We will improve living conditions for more than 20,000 residents through licensing.
“We understand that there are good landlords. Our scheme aims to assist them and enable other landlords to run better businesses and provide a higher quality service.”
Around 8,000 shared homes in Camden need a licence. Landlords have to apply for a five-year licence and pay a fee.
Unlicensed landlords risk fines and paying rent refunds. They can apply online at camden.gov.uk/hmolicensing or for more information call 020 7974 5969.