Reports on an unfortunate downside of northern England regeneration projects. As well as local authorities trying to capitalise on these projects, unscrupulous property investment companies and landlords have moved into those low-demand housing areas, which have been abandoned by decent tenants. Looks at a number of ways of preventing unscrupulous companies and landlords damaging an area: proposing land value taxation, which would deter the ownership of unused property and tax incremental financing, which would reclaim part of a property's rising value. However the tool most favoured by local authorities is private landlord licensing schemes. Landlord accreditation schemes were set up in 2003 as a part of the ODPM funded Private Landlords Project in five northern areas. The introduction of selective licensing of private landlords in problem areas is a provision in the Housing Bill.