Councils will soon have sweeping new powers to ban rogue landlords from renting flats after MSPs yesterday backed plans for a national private sector licensing scheme.

Thousands of private landlords across Scotland face new vetting procedures to be entitled to let their properties, under plans inserted into the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Bill by the parliament's communities committee.

Opposition parties voiced concern that such a major policy was being inserted into this legislation towards the end of the ''stage two'' process of its passage through parliament.

The bill had originally proposed registration just in areas with a history of trouble - to allow landlords to be tracked down when there are problems - although ministers did pledge to consider a Scotland-wide scheme in a future housing bill. But Mary Mulligan, the deputy communities minister, yesterday said the executive now agreed the new powers should be introduced universally.

Currently the owners of Scotland's estimated 10,000-15,000 houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs - where there are three or more unrelated tenants) require a licence, which is subject to compliance with strict health and safety regulations.

Under the amendments, successfully lodged by Labour's Cathy Craigie, owners of all Scotland's 160,000 private rental properties would have to register with the local council, who could refuse on a variety of grounds, including past convictions or a failure to tackle antisocial behaviour.

The licence would have to be renewed at an unspecified fee every three years, although landlords could be deregistered at any time. Registration decisions could be appealed, and those letting a residential property without a licence could face fines up to (pounds) 2500 or lose their entitlement to rental income.

Ms Craigie told fellow committee members that there were some landlords ''who make it their business to exploit their tenants'' and ''loopholes in the law''.

Nationalist and Green MSPs backed the move in principle.