Rogue landlords could face a crackdown in Barnet under council plans to bring in a tougher licensing scheme.

In a bid to drive up standards, the proposals mean landlords in certain parts of the borough would have to obtain a licence before they could rent out properties.

A housing committee report reveals some rogue landlords are leaving tenants in substandard accommodation, such as overcrowded rooms and conversions that have been poorly carried out.

Selective licensing schemes have been rolled out in other local authorities, and landlords that fail to comply with the scheme’s conditions face prosecution or a civil penalty of up to £30,000.

More than one in five people (26 per cent) in Barnet were private renters in 2016 – up from 17 per cent in 2001.

Speaking at a meeting of the housing committee on Monday (January 14), chairman Cllr Gabriel Rozenberg said: “In Barnet today, the Conservatives are standing up for private renters.

“This new agenda comprises stricter licensing controls and proposals for tougher enforcement.

“We are putting tenants at the heart of our borough.”

The council will recruit an extra member of staff to investigate the viability of selective licensing in the borough.

It will also hire two new recruits to carry out extra housing enforcement and HMO [houses in multiple occupation] licensing activities.

Labour member for West Finchley Cllr Ross Houston welcomed the plans but criticised the Conservatives for failing to back landlord licensing proposals put forward by his own party in 2014.

He said: “It is a shame you did not support this when we proposed it. It is good that you are playing catch-up, but the Labour group has always been committed to management of the sector.”

Cllr Houston claimed this had led to “missed opportunities” to crack down on rogue landlords.

The report’s recommendations were unanimously approved by members of the committee.