Scrap local licensing when national database launches, says Propertymark

Calls are being made to scrap local landlord licensing schemes once the national landlord register is operational.

Propertymark says the Government needs to ditch any local discretionary schemes once the register is in force to avoid duplication.

The call comes from the trade body, which has looked at the cost, effectiveness and enforcement of selective and additional licensing across England and Wales.

It argues that broad schemes impose significant costs and administration on responsible landlords and agents without necessarily improving enforcement.

Landlords should be able to see a clear connection between the fees they pay and the improvements being delivered in their local housing market.”

The national landlord registration service, the first stage of the database, launches on 15th December 2026, starting in the West Midlands before rolling out across England during the following 12 months.

All landlords actively letting in England will eventually have to register.

Propertymark says the new system is an opportunity to cut duplication and let councils focus enforcement on the landlords posing the greatest risk.

Propertymark argues councils should treat the national database as their primary source of landlord and property information, rather than asking landlords and agents to submit the same documents repeatedly and charging them again for data already held nationally.

Costs and enforcement

It highlights selective licensing fees of more than £1,000 per property in several areas, with additional licensing charging more still.

For those managing larger portfolios, costs can run into tens of thousands of pounds.

It also raises concerns about enforcement capacity, citing evidence that around two-thirds of councils in England had not prosecuted a landlord in the previous three years, despite an estimated 300,000 complaints about property conditions each year.

More than 84% of councils report difficulty recruiting environmental health professionals.

Licensing income

Propertymark wants greater transparency regarding licensing income, with councils required to show how fees are spent on inspections and enforcement, alongside a national cap limiting initial administration to 20% of fee income.

Tim Thomas, Senior Policy and Campaigns Officer of Propertymark, (pictured), says: “Landlords should be able to see a clear connection between the fees they pay and the improvements being delivered in their local housing market.”

He adds: “The priority must be enforcement. A licensing system should not become an end in itself, particularly where councils already have extensive powers to identify and act against unsafe or poorly managed housing.”

Propertymark says the database’s success should be judged not by how many landlords register, but by whether it helps councils act against non-compliant landlords more effectively.