Ealing Council's private rented property scheme is now fully in force as of this week to attempt increase the standard of rented properties across the borough. 

The council announced last month that they were introducing the licensing scheme for landlords in the whole borough, following on from a smaller version which had been trialled from last April. 

The amount of privately rented properties across Ealing has increased 65% in the last ten years and the council has moved to help protect this large group of renters. 

Councillor Shital Manro, Ealing Council's cabinet member for good growth said: "Supporting our most vulnerable residents continues to be a priority for the council. As we move forward into a new year, we are doing all that we can to provide support to those most badly hit by the cost-of-living crisis and ensure that they are not taken advantage of. 

"We have taken significant action to address problems in privately rented properties since the start of our previous licensing scheme, including serving over 800 enforcement notices, but there is still much work to do. 

"Whilst the majority of Ealing landlords provide tenants with decent, well-maintained homes, there are a minority few that take advantage.  

"Sadly, our officers continue to uncover cases where tenants are living in appallingly unsafe and dangerous conditions.  

"That is why we have increased the areas covered by our licensing schemes, ensuring that we can protect more tenants and drive out criminal landlords. 

"We are committed to reducing health and social inequality and want to ensure that people from all backgrounds can access safer and more secure homes, regardless of tenure. Property licensing will help us achieve this." 

Ealing Council are offering a 25% discount on the licence fee for any landlord who applies between 3rd January and 3rd April, and they are also encouraging landlords to attend an application training session on 11th January. 

The application process involves key details about the property and then the landlord will face a fit and proper person's test, which looks at things like: any criminal offences, any unlawful discrimination, any contravention of the law relating to housing or landlord and tenant law, whether the person has a 'banning order' in place under section 16 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016, and if any person in the management has a sufficient level of competence to be involved.  

There will be a public register of all licensed properties in the borough, and detail of the license holder and manager will appear on this register, an appointment to view this can be made via email.