Posts with tag: rogue landlords

Luton Council Aims to Tackle Rogue Landlords

Published On: December 17, 2015 at 12:58 pm

Author:

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: ,,,,

Luton Council Aims to Tackle Rogue Landlords

Luton Council Aims to Tackle Rogue Landlords

Luton Borough Council has launched a new scheme to crack down on rogue landlords that rent out poorly managed or dangerous properties.

The Rogue Landlord Project was created alongside the Bedfordshire Fire & Rescue Service, the Luton Law Centre and the Luton Citizens Advice Bureau.

The council insists that rogue landlords will not be tolerated and offenders will be caught.

The scheme particularly focuses on:

  • Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)
  • Beds in sheds – substandard properties that are being used as homes without relevant permission
  • Empty homes – the council hopes to bring these properties back into use to provide more people with accommodation

Recently, 18 landlords have been prosecuted by Luton Council or served with prohibition orders, many resulting in large fines and criminal records. Beds in sheds and HMOs have been emptied and several investigations are ongoing.

Councillor Tom Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Housing at Luton Borough Council, says: “The Rogue Landlord Project is an integral part of ensuring that private housing in Luton is of a good standard. It is an important part of our enforcement policy and will help ensure that properties in Luton are safe and maintained to a good standard. If a HMO is poorly managed, tenants’ safety could be at risk.

“We are committed to ensuring that rogue landlords are identified and are made to improve the property or face prosecution. I would encourage tenants or neighbours who suspect a landlord is not adhering to the rules to get in touch with us.”1 

1 https://www.luton.gov.uk/Housing/Other%20housing%20information/Pages/Rogue-Landlord-Project.aspx

700,000 Rental Homes Have Category 1 Hazards

Published On: December 16, 2015 at 4:08 pm

Author:

Categories: Property News

Tags: ,,,,

Tenants living in private rental sector homes are living in unsafe properties that do not meet basic legal standards, according to a report from Citizens Advice.

700,000 Rental Homes Have Category 1 Hazards

700,000 Rental Homes Have Category 1 Hazards

The charity found that landlords are making billions of pounds from 700,000 private rental homes in England that have a category 1 hazard – the most dangerous issues – including rat infestations, unsafe electrics, cold and damp.

The Paying a High Price for a Faulty Product report suggests that 30% of households living in unsafe rental properties have an annual income of over £30,000, while 18% earn more than £40,000 per year.

Citizens Advice states that private tenants must be given protections that exist in other consumer areas. It has been campaigning for renters living in dangerous accommodation to have the right to refunds of rent.

It is pleased to see that this has been included in the Housing Bill that is currently going through Parliament, but it hopes that tenants will not have to pay court fees to pursue this.

Although private rental housing costs the most out of the tenures it studied, this sector is most likely to have a category 1 hazard, at 17%, compared to 12% of owner-occupied homes and 6% of social rental properties.

Citizens Advice’s report, compiled with the New Policy Institute, also found:

  • Over 100,000 households pay more than £900 a month to live in an unsafe rental property.
  • The average monthly rent for a dangerous private rental home is £650, not much less than the average rent price of £720 for a property that meets minimum standards.
  • Private tenants in England spend £4.2 billion per year to live in hazardous homes that do not meet legal standards.
  • Half a million children live in unsafe rental homes.

Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, Gillian Guy, states: “Rogue landlords are forcing private tenants into a living nightmare.

“The private rented sector is the most expensive housing tenure but is in the worst state – consumers are paying top dollar to stay in dire homes that can threaten their lives and risk their health.”

She continues: “For too long, the private rented sector has been seen as a side issue in the British housing crisis debate. This is utterly wrong, as the astronomical cost of buying property means increasing numbers of people and families are moving into private tenancies.

“It is good the Housing Bill includes plans to give tenants the rights to rent refunds when their homes are unsafe, but it’s imperative renters don’t have to stump up court fees to seek this justice.”1 

1 https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2015/12/rogue-landlords-forcing-tenants-into-a-living-nightmare

 

 

LGA want new powers to deter rogue landlords

Published On: December 15, 2015 at 10:28 am

Author:

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: ,,,

The Local Government Association (LGA) has slammed the legislative system currently in place for dealing for rogue landlords.

Branding the system as, ‘unfit for purpose,’ the LGA believe that it should be replaced with a national database, which would cover all housing-related convictions.

Powerless

Rogue landlords are, according to the LGA, being stopped from working in certain regions but then being free to move to others and continue their unscrupulous dealings. At present, local authorities do not have the power to prevent this.

However, a database listing landlords who are subjected to banning orders is already in the Housing and Planning bill. Councils want this to be extended to include private landlords who have been convicted of other housing-related crimes.

Further research from the LGA also showed the slow process of prosecuting rogue landlords. This can take up to 16 months and can be very costly to the council.

For example, Wolverhampton City Council found a property with 11 contraventions. The council then fined the landlord £2,600 but was left facing a bill of £5,500 in costs.

LGA want new powers to deter rogue landlords

LGA want new powers to deter rogue landlords

Changes

As such, the LGA is calling for:

  • A more strenuous fit and proper persons check to hunt out rogue landlords at an early stage
  • Letting agents to be bound by the same legislation as estate agents
  • Harsher sentencing guidelines for magistrates
  • A larger set of penalties

‘A national information pool of rogue landlords is urgently needed so councils can identify the serial rogue operators and target them more effectively,’ said LGA environment spokesman Councillor Peter Box. ‘We are calling for a system which protects the good landlords, whose reputation is being dragged down by the bad ones.’[1]

Box went on to say, ‘councils are doing everything they can to tackle rogue landlords. However, they are being let down by the current system, which fails to account for the seriousness of the situation. Local authorities have found home with fire escape doors opening out onto three-storey drops and without proper front doors, so tenants have discovered strangers sleeping on their sofas.’ He feels action must be taken as at present rogue landlords are, ‘calculating they can keep these sub-standard properties going while the cash comes in and walk away with effectively a slap on the wrist.’[1]

[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2015/12/councils-call-for-new-powers-to-tackle-rogue-landlords

 

Controversial Landlords Sell Their Empire

Published On: December 10, 2015 at 10:19 am

Author:

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: ,,,

Arguably the most controversial buy-to-let landlords in the country, Fergus and Judith Wilson have sold off their property empire.

It is claimed that the couple sold 900 homes in Kent for £250m to individual and institutional foreign investors.

The deal has yet to complete, but means that they must repay around £80m in interest-only mortgages. Fergus Wilson states that the properties were sold at market value.

In a statement to The Guardian, Wilson says: “We reached an agreement today with a consortium of buyers to sell our entire portfolio for a figure exceeding £250m. The consortium is foreign and not of any one specific nationality.”

He adds that prices for homes on his estates “have been rising due to the shortage of available properties on the market”, but he insists that he has “taken steps to ensure the property prices in Ashford, Maidstone and Folkestone are not adversely affected”1 and that the sale will make no difference to existing tenants.

The Wilsons sold 100 properties of their 1,000-home portfolio in June to Chinese and Indian investors for about £25m.

The couple, both ex-maths teachers, previously tried to sell their portfolio in 2008, but were not successful. During the last economic crash, falling house prices meant that they had to stay in the market to meet mortgage payments of around £350,000 per month.

Wilson, 67, claims that he would not be able to get these mortgage deals now: “You couldn’t do now what I did. It’s partly because they will not lend at the higher levels of before. If I was starting again, I’d be pushed to get a 75% loan as a landlord.”2 

The Wilsons began building up their empire in the mid-1990s, at some stages buying several properties a day.

They have long been controversial, with Wilson evicting all tenants on housing benefit last year, in favour of Eastern European tenants. He was also fined after being found guilty of assaulting an estate agent.

The couple will not completely leave the sector, saying they will keep ten properties.

1 http://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/dec/09/fergus-wilson-sells-buy-to-let-property-empire-foreign-consortium-landlord

2 http://www.propertyindustryeye.com/sold-britains-most-controversial-buy-to-let-landlords-finally-sell-up/

 

Rent collector jailed for running over tenant

Published On: November 25, 2015 at 2:30 pm

Author:

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: ,,

A son of two landlords has been put behind bars for 10 years, after he deliberately ran over a tenant following a heated dispute over rent.

Mr Shahid Hussain drove his vehicle at Muhammed Pervez outside the rented accommodation in Bradford in July 2014. As a result, the victim was left with injuries to his jaw, cheekbone, eye socket, teeth and nose. In addition, he was left with severe bruising to his hands, back, legs and torso.

Guilty

As a result of his attack, Mr Hussain was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. In addition, Hussain and brother-in-law, Mohammed Khurshid were found guilty of two charges of committing an act intending to pervert the course of public justice after the pair threatened and abused witnesses at the scene of the crime.

The court heard that Mr Pervez was involved in a confrontation with Hussain, after he had gone to collect rent on behalf of his parents, the landlords of the property. The Bradford Telegraph & Argus reports that Mr Hussain drove his car at Mr Pervez before reversing the vehicle back over him.

Rent collector jailed for running over tenant

Rent collector jailed for running over tenant

Sickening

Even more sickening was the fact that Mr Hussain had two young children inside the vehicle at the time of the attack. After Mr Pervez had been hit, Mr Khurshid is then alleged to have arrived at the scene driving a different car.

Witnesses reported that Khurshid shouted, ‘are you happy now? This is what happens when you don’t pay your rent,’ at the stricken victim. Not content with these actions, the two men then turned on witnesses, saying, ‘you had better not make this look bad for us. We will track you down.’[1]

[1] https://www.lettingagenttoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2015/11/10-years-in-jail-for-rent-collector-who-deliberately-drove-over-tenant

 

More Landlords Fined Over HMO Breaches

Published On: November 25, 2015 at 9:59 am

Author:

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: ,,,

A couple has been found guilty of 26 offences regarding a rental property. They have been ordered to pay £26,822.

More Landlords Fined Over HMO Breaches

More Landlords Fined Over HMO Breaches

Dr. Kola Akindele and his wife Vanessa were prosecuted by Boston Borough Council at Skegness Magistrates’ Court.

They had denied all charges, but presiding magistrate Kevin Moody stated that he did not believe the reasons Mrs Akindele gave for how the property came to be in such a poor condition.

Mrs Akindele blamed the flood of December 2013 for the rental property’s state.

Magistrates were told that the property was operated as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO), but it was not licensed and did not have fire detection equipment fitted.

Additionally, there were problems with water penetration through a flat roof, damp and hazardous electrical systems.

Moody said that the fines reflect what could have happened at the property; serious injury or even death of tenants.

Dr. Akindele did not give any evidence.

In a separate case, a landlord was fined £7,300 over safety breaches.

Sheffield City Council brought the case against John Cashin for offences relating to four properties.

The landlord pleaded guilty to charges regarding safety breaches and for failure to license two of the properties as HMOs.

It is believed that he manages 28 properties and is described as a professional property manager.

Follow our advice for landlords to avoid being caught out by the law.