Help deliver stronger rights for tenants and neighbours of Private Landlords

Have your say, DEADLINE Monday 12^th January 206

Croydon Council is proposing a new Selective Landlord Licensing Scheme for most private rented homes in 14 wards across Croydon, including Addiscombe West and the Town Centre, to tackle poor housing conditions such as damp, mould, and fire hazards, raise management standards, and hold rogue landlords accountable.

Croydon Council is also consulting on bringing in a borough-wide additional scheme for all Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs). This would extend licensing to include smaller HMOs focusing on tackling poor property conditions a

nd property management.

The public consultation runs until January 12, 2026, to gather feedback before potential implementation in mid-2026. Use the QR code to submit your views.

We welcome the U-turn by Croydon’s Tory Mayor on this issue. Croydon Conservatives opposed the Croydon Labour Landlord Licensing Scheme, which ran from 2015 to 2020. This scheme found that 26% of homes inspected had a hazard issue, with over 1,500 improvement notices served on Private Landlords. In 2020, the Conservative Government refused the Croydon Labour Council’s request to renew this scheme. For six years private rented tenants have not had the support of this scheme. It is a shame that it has taken until 2026 for Croydon Conservatives to come to their senses on this.

Croydon Labour urges residents to support the principle of Landlord Licensing and suggests the Council should extend this to the whole borough, and not just to 14 out of the possible 28 wards. The Conservative Mayor’s proposals mean that nearly 10K tenants will not benefit from this scheme.  Previous evidence shows that rogue landlords will move their operations to areas of Croydon with weaker regulation. This can’t be right. Express your support for more homes to be included.

Croydon Labour is committed to stronger rights and support for Private Tenants. This is why we welcome Labour’s Renters’ Rights Act 2025, which comes into force on 1^st May 2026, it significantly reforms the private rental sector by ending ‘no-fault’ evictions (Section 21), introduces a Decent Homes Standard for private rentals, extends Awaab’s Law for rapid hazard fixes, allows pet ownership, restrict rent increases to once a year which can be challenged in a tribunal if excessive.

It’s why we also want to hear from private rented residents on what else can be done to improve the private rented sector in Croydon. Contact us at [email protected].