STAMPING OUT ROGUE LANDLORDS

1st May, 2025

Hounslow Labour's campaign to stamp out rogue landlords

Residents have until 21st May to have their say on plans to extend licensing for HMOs, so more homes are licensed than just the statutory minimum.

Mandatory Licensing includes properties with five or more persons sharing bathroom and kitchen facilities, but this leaves out many other kinds of HMO.

Hounslow Council introduced a wider scheme in August 2020 to include HMOs with three or four persons, as well as S257 HMOs, which have been subdivided into self-contained flats or studios without appropriate building regulation approval.

With the additional licensing scheme coming to an end in July 2025, renewing it became a political priority for Hounslow’s Labour administration.

Cllr Tom Bruce, Deputy leader of Hounslow Council and Cabinet Member for Assets, Regeneration and Development commented that:

“We said we’d get tough on rogue landlords, and we meant it. Doing nothing just isn’t an option. This Labour administration will always protect renters across the borough. Extending our discretionary licensing will ensure more residents are protected by proper written terms of tenancy. It means controls on overcrowding and eliminating safety hazards.

“HMOs are a vital source of housing in our Borough, but they can also bring serious challenges: overcrowding, poor living conditions, and antisocial behaviour.

“That is why we are proposing tighter controls, to include more types of rented homes and ensure that they are safe, properly managed, and don’t negatively affect the local community.

“This is about protecting tenants, supporting responsible landlords, and making our neighbourhoods better for everyone.”

The private rented sector is the fastest growing tenure in the borough, having increased from 23.4% of the population in 201 to 30.9% in 2021.

During the first four years of the additional licence, 40% of HMO licence applications came as a result of Hounslow’s discretionary licensing scheme. That is 40% of HMO households who risk losing these rights and protections should the scheme not be extended.

The licensing scheme also includes measures to stamp out antisocial behaviour, by creating greater accountability:

Landlords will be responsible for managing ASB and compliance with the Council’s household waste storage and disposal schemes.
Local police teams and Safer Communities Complex Case Workers will support licensed HMO landlords to resolve ASB issues associated with their addresses.
Landlords who fail to cooperate or deliberately flout licence conditions will be subject to formal enforcement action.

These measures reflect calls from residents demanding greater accountability around HMO-related ASB.

This renewed focus on renters’ rights comes a month after a Hounslow Labour Group motion at Borough Council, which committed the council to cracking down on rogue landlords. With the Government’s sweeping Renters’ Rights Bill due to come into effect towards the end of the year, Hounslow Labour are redoubling their efforts to protect vulnerable renters who risk falling through the cracks.