Posts with tag: rogue landlords

Blacklist of Rogue Landlords to be in Operation from Autumn 2017

Published On: November 9, 2016 at 9:30 am

Tags: blacklist of rogue landlords,Housing and Planning Act 2016,landlord law,rogue landlords

The Government’s blacklist of rogue landlords and letting agents will be in operation from autumn 2017, according to the Housing Minister.

Blacklist of Rogue Landlords to be in Operation from Autumn 2017

Gavin Barwell was asked by Justin Tomlinson, Conservative MP for North Swindon, what progress has been made on compiling the blacklist of rogue landlords that was pledged under the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

Barwell responded: “The Housing and Planning Act 2016 introduced a package of measures to help local authorities crack down on rogue landlords, including a database of rogue landlords and property agents. The database is currently being developed and we expect it to become operational in autumn 2017.”

Tomlinson then questioned Barwell over what he is doing to “strengthen the protections afforded to private rent tenants under section 4 of the Defective Premises Act 1972”.

Barwell explained: “All homes should be of a reasonable standard and all tenants should have a safe place to live regardless of tenure. Under the Housing Act 2004 and following an inspection under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, the local authority can serve a notice on the landlord to require improvements to a property.

“We have strengthened these measures through the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to take action against rogue landlords. These include a database of rogue landlords and property managers, banning orders, civil penalties of up to £30,000, and extended rent repayment orders.”

Alongside the blacklist of rogue landlords, all those renting out property in the UK should be aware of further measures introduced through the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

We have called on a legal expert to explain how each of the forthcoming measures will affect those in the lettings sector. Read more: /landlords-ready-housing-planning-act-2016/

We will keep you updated with any further announcements regarding the introduction of the blacklist of rogue landlords.

You must also be aware that from 1^st December 2016, failure to comply with the Right to Rent scheme will be a criminal offence.

Rogue landlord fined for dangerous property

Published On: November 3, 2016 at 12:30 pm

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: fines,landlord,property,rental property,rogue landlords

A rogue landlord has been ordered to pay over £1,000 after being found guilty of possessing an extremely dangerous rental property.

Landlord Joe Burgess, of Newark Road, Lincoln , failed to adhere to housing regulations and left his property in an appalling state of repair. Some issues with the property included unsafe electrics, no central heating, damp and a leaking roof

Fines

West Lindsey District Council served plenty of notices on Mr Burgess. After he failed to comply with these notices, the council were left to fit a considerable bill in order to make the property safe.

At Lincoln Magistrates’ Court, Burgess was found guilty and fined £440. In addition, he was told to pay £400 in legal costs, £376 in investigation costs and a victim surcharge of £44.

Rogue landlord fined for dangerous property

Councillor Sheila Bibb, chairman of the council’s Prosperous Communities Committee, said: ‘This is the second successful prosecution we have undertaken this year and demonstrates the council’s commitment to tackling criminal and rogue landlords. We hope this case sends a clear message to landlords that we will use all of the powers available to us if they do not comply with our requests when we serve formal notices. Nobody should have to live in unsafe accommodation in the district.’[1]

‘In this day and age there is no excuse for landlords who choose to ignore the law and we intend to continue to pursue them wherever their properties may be in our district. I would like to thank officers for their excellent work on this case,’ she added.[1]

[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2016/11/landlord-fined-for-extremely-dangerous-rental-property

Housing Minister Reinforces Support for Tackling Rogue Landlords in London

Published On: October 24, 2016 at 8:34 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: Housing and Planning Act 2016,landlords in London,London,rogue landlords

Housing Minister Reinforces Support for Tackling Rogue Landlords in London

The Housing Minister, Gavin Barwell, has yet again been required to reinforce the Government’s support for tackling rogue landlords in London.

Just last week, an MP questioned Barwell’s efforts to drive rogue landlords out of the private rental sector. The Housing Minister responded with details of the forthcoming Housing and Planning Act 2016, which includes measures to tackle rogue landlords.

Now, Barwell has been asked what steps the Department for Communities and Local Government is taking to support the boroughs where the number of rogue landlords in London is increasing.

Barwell replied to the enquiry: “The Government has made £12m available to a range of local authorities to help them crack down on rogue landlords. £6.6m of that funding was provided to London boroughs. Through the Housing and Planning Act 2016, the Government is introducing a package of measures to help local authorities go further in tackling rogue landlords. They include a database of rogue landlords and property agents, banning orders for prolific and serious offenders, civil penalties of up to £30,000, and extended Rent Repayment Orders. These provisions are expected to come into force in 2017.

“On 18^th October, the Government also announced plans to extend mandatory licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), to strengthen councils to tackle problem homes head-on and bring an end to ruthless landlords who exploit tenants and charge them extortionate rents to live in poor conditions. These measures will ensure mandatory licensing rules apply to HMOs with five or more people, and to flats above and below shops. Minimum room sizes will also apply to HMOs, to help to clamp down on rogue landlords cramming tenants into unsafe and overcrowded homes.”

He added: “This Government is committed to ensuring this country works for everyone, and a key part of that is ensuring everyone has a safe and secure home.”

Since his first major speech, the Housing Minister has spoken out in support of the private rental sector.

Landlord told to pay over £10,000 for breaches in regulation

Published On: October 17, 2016 at 1:19 pm

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: buy-to-let legislation,gas and electric safety,landlords,rogue landlords

A private landlord from Norwich has been told to pay over £10,000 in fines and costs after breaching regulation for private accommodation.

Mr Piang Fui Pun admitted 13 breaches of regulations regarding HMO’s. These included not providing adequate safety certification for electrical and gas installations in his property.

Prosecutions

David Lowens, prosecuting on behalf of the city council, informed Norwich Magistrates Court that council officers first visited the property in February. After pointing out issues, they returned three months later to find that many of these issues had still not been sorted.

Mr Pun argued that his sister usually looks after the property, but had been distracted by family affairs. He said that the defects had now been rectified.

Despite this, Chairman of the bench, Geoff Dyett, fined Pun £5,500 and told him to pay £4,600 in investigation costs.

Dyett told Pun: ‘If there had been an accident or worse there could even have been a fire, you could well have been facing more serious allegations.’[1]

Landlord told to pay over £10,000 for breaches in regulation

Safety

Following the case, Bert Bremner, Norwich city council’s cabinet minister for private sector housing, noted: ‘keeping our residents safe and ensuring all housing is of a good standard are top priorities for the council.’[1]

‘This particular case required a high level of partnership working and is another excellent example of the work being done to tackle landlords who operate outside the law,” he added.[1]

[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2016/10/landlord-ordered-to-pay-over-10-000-for-regulatory-breaches

The Government’s Measures to Tackle Rogue Landlords

Published On: October 17, 2016 at 10:37 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: Housing and Planning Act,letting agents,rogue landlords

The Housing Minister, Gavin Barwell, has reinforced the Government’s efforts to tackle rogue landlords.

The Government’s Measures to Tackle Rogue Landlords

Following questions from Jon Trickett, the Shadow Lord President of the Council and Campaigns and Elections Chair, Barwell explained the Government’s measures to drive rogue landlords out of the private rental sector.

Trickett asked Barwell, who is also the Minister of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), what information the department holds on the number of rogue landlords in England and each local authority area in the country.

Barwell responded: “The department does not hold this information. The Housing and Planning Act 2016 introduced a package of measures to help local authorities crack down on rogue landlords. This includes a database of rogue landlords and property agents who have been convicted of a banning order offence or have received at least two civil penalties for housing related offences. The database, which will be accessible to local authorities and DCLG, is expected to go live on 1^st October 2017.”

When asked what steps he is taking to help strengthen local authority powers to deal with rogue landlords, Barwell explained: “The Government introduced a package of measures in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to help local authorities crack down on rogue landlords.

“They comprise civil penalties of up to £30,000 as an alternative to prosecution, the expansion of Rent Repayment Orders to cover a wider range of offences, a database of rogue landlords and property agents, and banning orders to prevent serious and prolific offenders from being involved in the renting out or management of private rented properties.”

He continued: “In addition, over the past five years, we have made £12m available to a range of local authorities to help them tackle acute and complex problems associated with rogue landlords. This has resulted in the inspection of over 70,000 properties, with more than 5,000 landlords now facing further enforcement action.”

Landlords, are you ready for the changes that will soon be introduced through the Housing and Planning Act 2016? Keep up to date with your responsibilities by checking out this guide for landlords: /landlords-ready-housing-planning-act-2016/

Landlords, Are You Ready for the Housing and Planning Act 2016?

Published On: October 14, 2016 at 8:30 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: Housing and Planning Act,landlord law,Right to Rent,rogue landlords

Unlicensed HMO landlord ordered to refund £84,877 to tenants

Landlords, are you ready for the changes and regulations set to be introduced by the Housing and Planning Act 2016?

Landlords, Are You Ready for the Housing and Planning Act 2016?

On 12^th May this year, the Housing and Planning Act 2016 was awarded royal assent. Various parts of the act will come into force in stages through commencement orders. Landlords must keep up to date with the parts of the law that regard the private rental sector.

Francesca Tremeer, of QualitySolicitors Burroughs Day, has the latest information for landlords on how the Housing and Planning Act 2016 will affect them.

In particular, the Housing and Planning Act directly affects all of the below:

The process of recovering abandoned property: The Housing and Planning Act will make it possible for landlords to recover possession of their abandoned property without a court order. However, Francesca explains why this could create immediate problems for landlords.
Fitness tests for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licenses: New criteria for HMO license applications will be added for landlords, including your duties under the Right to Rent scheme.
Banning orders for rogue landlords and letting agents: Rogue landlords and letting agents who consistently flout the law will now be banned from operating in the lettings sector and put on a new database, which will be maintained by local housing authorities.

For more details of these updates and how they will affect you as a landlord, read the full article here.

Landlords, remember that you can keep up to date with your responsibilities as a landlord, along with any changes to the law, at Landlord News.

We will keep you posted on forthcoming regulation changes in the lettings sector, such as the rules detailed above. Don’t get caught out – stay on top of your legal duties!

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