Posts with tag: rogue landlords

Sadiq Khan’s New Database Will Expose London’s Rogue Landlords

Published On: May 11, 2016 at 9:53 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: London,Mayor of London,rogue landlords,Sadiq Khan

The new Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has revealed plans for a database that will expose the capital’s rogue landlords.

Sadiq Khan’s New Database Will Expose London’s Rogue Landlords

The London Landlord Watchlist will help Khan crack down on those who exploit tenants “like a ton of bricks”. The policy, aimed at the capital’s two million private tenants, would introduce a public City Hall database that enables renters to check out landlords before moving into a property. It will name and shame rogue landlords in the capital, and could include those who have repeatedly broken the law.

Offences that could put landlords on the database include unlawful eviction of tenants, failure to comply with an overcrowding notice and harassment. Recently, a landlord in Peterborough was prosecuted for harassing a tenant.

Ministers have already announced plans for a landlord register, but this would only be accessible by councils, not the public.

Housing was at the forefront of the mayoral campaign, as a host of Londoners continue to struggle to afford to rent or buy.

A recent study by housing charity Shelter found that around six in ten Londoners face daily living hazards in their rental properties. Meanwhile, one in ten has suffered health problems in the past year as a result of their landlord failing to deal with dangerous conditions.

It is vital that you keep up to date with landlord law at LandlordNews.co.uk.

Research by the Labour Party also found that tenants would have to pay an average of £2,400 in letting agent fees over the next eight years unless action was taken. Khan has already revealed plans for a landlord licensing scheme and citywide not-for-profit letting agency.

He said: “Most landlords treat their tenants well, but too many renters are being deliberately exploited by rogue landlords. Enough is enough. I will come down on rogue landlords like a ton of bricks with a new London Landlord Watchlist to name and shame the worst offenders.

“We can’t stand by as thousands of renters are suffering high costs and low standards. That’s why I will promote licensing schemes to drive up standards and establish a not-for-profit lettings agency that will end rip-off fees for renters and promote longer tenancies.”¹

Remember to stick to the law and avoid being named and shamed!

¹http://www.standard.co.uk/news/mayor/sadiq-khan-my-watchlist-will-expose-rogue-landlords-a3239716.html

Rogue Landlord in London Faces Prosecution for Overcrowded Property

Published On: May 3, 2016 at 11:21 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: landlord licensing,London,overcrowding,rogue landlords

A rogue landlord in Wembley, northwest London faces prosecution for renting out an overcrowded property in the area.

Rogue Landlord in London Faces Prosecution for Overcrowded Property

Raids by Brent Council found 11 people living in the three-bedroom house, after the council committed to increasing efforts to ensure landlords with unlicensed properties are held accountable for their actions.

Enforcement teams entered the mid-terrace house to find 11 people packed inside. The property was also in a general state of disrepair, says the council, with the landlord looking to face prosecution.

Brent Council’s heightened enforcement activity in recent months has lead to up to five prosecutions per week since the start of the year.

In January, it was announced that the council would be one of 48 local authorities to receive a portion of £5m funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government to tackle rogue landlords.

Earlier this year, a raid on rogue landlords in Wembley found 23 people, including ten children, living in a semi-detached house. The council also raided a shed in the back of a second property, where it found evidence that it may have been illegally rented out as private accommodation.

The Cabinet Member for Housing at Brent Council, Councillor Margaret McLennan, comments: “These types of raids demonstrate the importance of our landlord licensing scheme. It ensures that properties are not overcrowded, are let out to an acceptable standard and are properly managed.

“It also reduces anti-social behaviour and illegally dumped rubbish, which can have a significant impact on local neighbourhoods and property prices. Everyone in the borough benefits from licensing.”¹

This news arrives as Derby City Council announces plans for a new scheme to tackle rogue landlords. More about how the system would work and what it will do for the private rental sector in the city can be found here: /derby-proposes-new-measures-tackle-rogue-landlords/

¹https://www.brent.gov.uk/council-news/april-2016/wake-up-call-for-rogue-landlords/

Derby Proposes New Measures to Tackle Rogue Landlords

Published On: May 3, 2016 at 9:21 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: Derby,good landlords,Health and safety,rogue landlords

Derby Proposes New Measures to Tackle Rogue Landlords

Derby City Council has proposed a new scheme to help tackle rogue landlords in the area, which could be in operation by the end of the year.

Councillor Baggy Shanker says he is determined to crack down on rogue landlords in Derby and is hoping to replace the existing system, which has been run by the local authority since 2008. Shanker claims the current scheme is no longer “fit for purpose”.

If Labour succeeds in retaining control of the council following this week’s local elections, Shanker pledges to make it much harder for rogue landlords to operate in Derby, by allowing members of the public to freely access an accredited list of private landlords.

Under the present scheme, the council conducts its own research to ensure that landlords are fit and proper. However, the public cannot access this list without contacting the council directly to request feedback about a landlord, including whether or not they are accredited.

Shanker hopes the new proposed scheme would work like an MOT check for both the landlord and their property. An open register would be made available on the council’s website, similar to a Trusted Trader initiative that allows people to check if a firm or tradesperson is considered trustworthy and dependable.

The new landlord list would include health and safety checks, such as ensuring a property has a gas safety certificate, and also checking whether the council has previously received complaints about a landlord, whether they use a deposit scheme, and whether the cost of renting the property is suitable for the area it is in.

Shanker comments: “We are thinking we should work the good landlords, exclude the bad ones and then people will stop using them. Some of the initial feedback [from city landlords] is that they are up for discussing the scheme. We would start it in certain wards: Normanton, Arboretum, Sinfin, some parts of Abbey ward. We may even be able to do it in selected streets.”¹

¹http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/New-scheme-pipeline-shame-Derby-s-bad-landlords/story-29203790-detail/story.html

Radical Action Needed to Protect Tenants from Rogue Landlords, Says RLA

Published On: April 29, 2016 at 8:25 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: landlord law,landlord responsibilities,rogue landlords

Radical action is needed to protect tenants from rogue landlords, insists the Residential Landlords Association (RLA).

The call comes after data received through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request indicates a worryingly low level of enforcement of rental housing regulations by local authorities.

Radical Action Needed to Protect Tenants from Rogue Landlords, Says RLA

The data, collected by the RLA, from the 255 councils that responded, suggests that just 827 prosecutions have been made against landlords over the last five years, following improvement notices being served.

The RLA does not believe that so few landlords have breached their legal obligations over this timeframe. Research shows that there are over 140 Acts of Parliament containing more than 400 regulations affecting the private rental sector.

The data received through the FOI request stands in stark contrast to figures from the London Borough of Newham, which has published a study stating that since January 2013, it has undertaken 779 prosecutions of landlords alone. The council did not respond to the FOI request.

Since 2013, the council has worked closely with the police, HM Revenue & Customs and the UK Border Agency to use the wide range of powers already available to tackle rogue landlords. It has conducted numerous high profile raids of properties that are substandard or overcrowded.

The RLA is now calling for a radical national overhaul of the way that regulations are enforced, enabling the majority of good landlords to be regulated by robust industry-run schemes, which would free councils to find and punish the rogues who often target vulnerable tenants.

The Chairman of the RLA, Alan Ward, says: “Tenants and good landlords are being let down by a system unable to cope with the powers already available to root out the crooks.

“Unsafe and unsanitary housing has no place in the 21^st century – those responsible put the lives of their tenants in jeopardy. It angers the majority of decent landlords who enjoy good relations with their tenants.”

He continues: “Newham Council shows that with the will and resources, councils already have the powers needed to protect tenants from bad landlords.

“Rather than tinkering around the edges, we need a radical overhaul of the way the sector is regulated, freeing councils to find the crooks. The message should be clear to those renting out substandard housing: get it sorted or face the full force of the law.”

Landlords, remember to stick to the law and keep up to date with your responsibilities at LandlordNews.co.uk.

Put rogue tenant list in Housing and Planning Bill-AIIC

Published On: April 27, 2016 at 11:49 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: buy-to-let landlords,Housing and Planning Bill,landlords,rogue landlords,rogue tenants

The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) has called for amendments to the Housing and Planning Bill, to address the issue of problem tenants.

With the ‘Bill already including features to tackle rogue landlords and letting agents, the AIIC is now calling for measures aimed at rooting out rogue tenants to be included.

Alterations

Proposals already existing in the Bill include those to both ban and fine criminal landlords and letting agents. What’s more, there are also proposals to introduce rent repayments orders and create a database of blacklisted agents and landlords.

It has been mooted than this blacklist will be created and maintained by local authorities, with them also having to apply for offenders to be included on this register.

Currently at the report stage, the Bill will have to pass through a third reading and consideration of amendments before finally reaching Royal Assent and becoming law.

Put rogue tenant list in Housing and Planning Bill-AIIC

Work to be done

Despite welcoming the measures aimed at rooting out so called rogue landlords, the AIIC said there is much more to be done to underline the problem of rogue tenants.

Patricia Barber, chair of the AIIC, stated, ‘we’re well aware that there are criminal landlords and letting agents out there and blacklisting them and banning them from letting property is a necessary step. That said, the measures in the Housing Bill are very one-sided and suggest that it is only landlords and agents that cause problems during tenancies. We know from experience that this is not true and I personally have come across many horror stories in my time where tenants have trashed a landlord’s property or refused to pay rent for long periods of time.’[1]

‘It would only be fair if troublesome tenants who repeatedly offend could be blacklisted in the same way as landlords or agents. The threat of being blacklisted or a fine would hopefully discourage a minority of tenants from misbehaving and help to improve the relationship between landlords, agents and tenants.’[1]

[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2016/4/housing-bill-should-also-include-rogue-tenants-list-says-aiic

Landlord Handed Prison Sentence for Ignoring Gas Safety

Published On: April 26, 2016 at 8:35 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: gas safety,landlord law,landlord responsibilities,rogue landlords

A landlord has been handed a suspended prison sentence after he ignored repeated warnings about arranging an annual gas safety check at his property.

Landlord Handed Prison Sentence for Ignoring Gas Safety

The six-month sentence was suspended for 12 months, during which time he will be electronically tagged and must abide by a curfew between 7pm and 7am for the first three months.

Tariq Ali was given numerous opportunities by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to arrange an inspection at a property he owned in Accrington, after the previous Gas Safety Record expired in October 2012.

Landlords are legally required to have gas appliances checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer at least once a year. However, Ali failed to comply with the law.

Your responsibilities as a landlord can be found in this comprehensive guide from the Gas Safe Register: https://www.justlandlords.co.uk/news/landlords-guide-gas-safety/

Ali was found guilty following a trial at Trafford Magistrates’ Court of single breaches of Regulation 36(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The charges relate to failing to have the gas appliances checked annually and failing to comply with an improvement notice.

Ali must also pay £20,000 towards HSE costs.

The court heard how Ali first came to the attention of the Gas Safe Register in 2011, after gas appliances at several of his properties were considered at risk or immediately dangerous.

The HSE reports that on average, over eight people are killed and almost 330 people are injured every year by carbon monoxide poisoning from gas appliances and fires and explosions caused by faulty gas installations.

It is vital that you take your responsibility as a landlord very seriously and remember to follow the law.