Petition Abolish Newham's landlord property licence scheme

From the 1st January 2013 all Newham Residential Landlords will require a licence to privately rent their properties under its powers under section 80 of the Housing Act 2004. Newham Residential Landlords are disadvantaged compared to those outside of Newham and we believe that a national approach should be taken. The council reckons that while the majority of landlords operate responsibly, there are some badly managed, poor quality properties and tenancies, as well as problems with anti-social behaviour in some private rented accommodation. Why should responsible hard working landlords have to pay for the rogue ones?

This is simply the wrong approach and I would like government to look into this and figure out a fair approach for both landlords and tenants.