Propertymark, a trade body, has called for local landlord licensing schemes to be abolished once England's national landlord register becomes operational. The organisation argues that the current local schemes lead to unnecessary duplication and impose substantial costs on landlords.
Research published by Propertymark, which examined selective and additional licensing schemes across England and Wales, concluded that these broad local schemes can incur significant costs for landlords without necessarily enhancing enforcement outcomes.
The national landlord registration service is scheduled to launch on 15 December 2026, beginning in the West Midlands before a phased rollout across England over the subsequent 12 months. All landlords letting properties in England will be required to register.
Propertymark suggests that councils should utilise the national database as their primary source of landlord and property information. This would remove the need for landlords to repeatedly submit the same documents through local schemes and pay additional fees for data already held nationally.
The research highlighted selective licensing fees exceeding £1,000 per property in some areas, with additional licensing schemes charging more. Propertymark also raised concerns about enforcement capacity, noting that approximately two-thirds of councils in England had not prosecuted a landlord in the previous three years, despite an estimated 300,000 annual complaints about property conditions.
Tim Thomas, Senior Policy and Campaigns Officer at Propertymark, stated that landlords should see a clear link between fees paid and improvements in the local housing market, emphasising that enforcement should be the priority.