Posts with tag: rogue landlords

Nine Landlords Banned from Letting Homes in Glasgow

Published On: September 6, 2017 at 9:40 am

Nine Landlords Banned from Letting Homes in Glasgow

Nine private landlords have been banned from letting rental homes in the Govanhill area of Glasgow, after being found unfit to rent out properties.

The bans were imposed as a consequence of an Enhanced Enforcement Area (EEA) in Govanhill, which was initially established in four blocks in September 2015 through the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014, which gives Glasgow City Council special powers to crack down on any rogue landlords operating within the designated area.

The landlords now face criminal prosecution and fines of up to £50,000 if they attempt to let their properties.

One landlord was letting a property that was unfit for human habitation, with faulty electrics, no hot water, a broken toilet and holes in the floor. The other eight landlords with properties within the EEA all failed to provide a range of certification, including an enhanced criminal record check, building insurance, Energy Performance Certificates, gas safety and confirmation that tenants had received an information pack.

Councillor Mhairi Hunter comments on the bans: “The EEA means the Council has the right to demand high standards from landlords working in Govanhill, otherwise they will ultimately be taken to task.

“But the EEA has also provided a platform for better overall engagement with landlords, and that has led directly to a substantial improvement in housing conditions, a big increase in the number of closes being factored and a drop in anti-social behaviour.”

Landlords with properties in the Glasgow area must be aware that the EEA is due to be rolled out across a further 14 blocks in southwest Govanhill.

We remind all landlords in the UK to comply with the laws governing the private rental sector, to ensure that you provide safe, secure and comfortable housing for your tenants, while ensuring that you don’t get caught out by penalties!

We have created some handy and comprehensive guides to help you stick to your responsibilities – they can be accessed for FREE here: /guides/

£2.5bn per year being given to landlords letting substandard homes

Published On: September 4, 2017 at 8:34 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: Buy-to-Let,housing market,landlords,rogue landlords

A recent report has revealed that rogue landlords receive around £2.5bn per year for renting out unfit and unsafe properties.

The investigation carried out by The Independent uncovered that some landlords are still letting properties that do not meet basic health and safety standards.

Housing Benefit

In addition, the report shows that unscrupulous landlords are set to obtain over

£12bn in housing benefit during the next five years. The ongoing housing shortage is leaving a number of renters with little alternative but to accept homes that are in disrepair.

Last month, The Independent revealed that almost one-third of private rented homes in England (around 1.4m properties) are currently in a sub-standard condition. 17% were found to contain the most dangerous type of safety hazard.

Commenting on the figures, shadow housing secretary John Healey, said: ‘The number of families renting from a private landlord has soared by more than a million since 2010, but decisions made by Conservative ministers have made it easier for a minority of bad landlords to fleece the system.

‘Most landlords provide decent homes that tenants are happy with, but these rogue landlords are ripping off renters and taxpayers alike by making billions from housing benefit on substandard homes.’

£2.5bn per year being given to landlords letting substandard homes

Broken

Continuing, Mr Healey said, ‘Theresa May declared the ‘housing market is broken’, but Tory ministers won’t act to make the market fairer or work better for private renters. After seven years of failure, the Conservatives have no plan to fix the housing crisis.’

‘The next Labour government would call time on bad landlords and bring in a New Deal for private renters to establish new consumer rights.’[1]

[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2017/9/around-2-5bn-a-year-handed-out-to-landlords-renting-out-non-decent-homes

Rogue landlords still letting to illegal tenants

Published On: August 21, 2017 at 1:49 pm

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: illegal tenants,immigration,landlords,Right to Rent,rogue landlords

A number of buy-to-let investors who knowing let illegal immigrants to live in their rental properties could be set to face jail.

This is after hundreds of people suspected of not having a right to live in the UK were arrested during a national enforcement operation across Britain.

Operation

Border Force police arrested roughly 200 people as part of their operation, which looks to clamp down on illegal immigration and rogue landlords renting out properties to those without the right to live in the UK.

Activity for Operation Magnify began at the beginning of the year, concluding in June, when police inspected 253 residential properties thought to contain illegal immigrants.

Of the 200 or so people arrested by the force, some had overstayed their visa but many had entered the UK illegally.

Brandon Lewis, Immigration Minister, noted: ‘These operations show that we will not tolerate people living and working illegally in the UK. Illegal working cheats the taxpayer, has a negative impact on the wages of legal workers and allows rogue employers to undercut legitimate businesses.’

Rogue landlords still letting to illegal tenants

‘Those who come to the UK to live and work illegally often arrive with a very different expectation to the situation that they then face. The reality is very different and they will often find themselves at the mercy of exploitative employers or landlords. Those unscrupulous landlords flout the rules by knowingly renting property to illegal migrants as easy source of profit. We are committed to tackling abuse and building an immigration system which works in the best interest of the country.’[1]

[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2017/8/rogue-landlords-slammed-for-knowingly-renting-property-to-illegal-migrants

Bristol Council receives funding to tackle rogues

Published On: August 10, 2017 at 9:51 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: Bristol,Bristol City,rogue landlords,tenants

The Home Office is attempting to improve standards in the private rented sector in Bristol, by giving Bristol City Council £321,750 to combat rogue landlords and protect tenants.

This funding has come from the Controlling Mitigation Fund and is designed to improve sector conditions over the next two years. It is hoped this will take place by allowing the council to carry out intelligence work in order to identify and stamp out criminals in the city.

Inspections

Around 1,200 property inspections are planned for the next two years, but the council is urging tenants to come forward should they have concerns over the condition of their rental property.

Partners working with the council’s private housing team will include Avon and Somerset Police and Immigration Compliance Enforcement. These firms will work together to identify properties likely to have high levels of exploitation and trafficking.

In 2016, Bristol City Council was awarded money from the Department for Communities and Local Government in order to carry out similar work targeting criminal landlords. During this time, the private housing team inspected 153 individual properties, served 20 enforcement notices and carried out four prosecutions.

Bristol Council receives funding to tackle rogues

Tackling Criminals

Paul Smith, cabinet member for homes, noted: ‘Across the city people are finding it increasingly difficult to access decent, affordable homes. In Bristol we are working hard to tackle criminal landlords and through this extra funding, we expect to see a reduction in the number of these criminal landlords letting out poor quality accommodation and exploiting tenants.’

‘Making sure that everyone in Bristol has a safe, comfortable place to call home, is one of our key priorities, and we are doing all we can to make this a reality. We intend to use all enforcement powers at our disposal where appropriate.’[1]

[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2017/8/council-receives-fresh-funds-to-tackle-rogue-landlords

Landlord Given Suspended Sentence for Risking Tenants’ Lives

Published On: August 8, 2017 at 9:20 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: gas safety,rogue landlords,tenants

Landlord Given Suspended Sentence for Risking Tenants’ Lives

A buy-to-let landlord in Ilfracombe, a seaside resort on the North Devon coast, has been given a suspended prison sentence for risking the lives of his tenants by conducting dangerous gas work.

Exeter Crown Court was told that, in September 2016, Allan King replaced a boiler at his rental property on Arcade Road, despite having no training in gas work and not being listed with the Gas Safe Register.

After the boiler developed faults a few weeks later, the landlord called in a gas engineer for help.

The engineer immediately recognised that the boiler was risking the tenants’ lives, and isolated it to make it safe. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was informed and launched an investigation.

Allan King, of Arcade Road, Ilfracombe, pleaded guilty to breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The landlord was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and fined £3,000. He was also ordered to pay costs totalling £12,184.14.

An HSE inspector, Simon Jones, spoke after the hearing: “Landlords have a legal duty to ensure that any gas work at their rented properties is only undertaken by a member of Gas Safe Register.

“In this case, Mr. King ignored previous warnings and undertook his own DIY gas work, for which he had neither the competence nor credentials. His actions were dangerous and put his tenants’ lives at risk.”

Landlords, to help you understand and stick to your responsibilities surrounding gas safety, we have put together a comprehensive guide with the assistance of the Gas Safe Register: /landlords-guide-gas-safety/

Make sure to stick to your legal obligations to avoid ending up in the same situation as this landlord, and to protect your tenants’ health and safety at all times – remember the importance of gas safety!

Local Authorities Already have Enough Power to Tackle Substandard Property, Housing Minister Insists

Published On: August 7, 2017 at 8:13 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Property News

Tags: Health and safety,property conditions,rogue landlords,substandard property

Local Authorities Already have Enough Power to Tackle Substandard Property, Housing Minister Insists

Local authorities already have enough power to tackle substandard property conditions in the private rental sector, the Housing Minister has insisted.

Alok Sharma, the Minister of State for Communities and Local Government, made the claim in response to a question from Labour MP Grahame Morris on whether local authorities will be granted the power to enforce acceptable standards on private property.

Morris asked Sharma whether councils would be given the authority to insist that landlords or homeowners maintain their properties to a satisfactory standard if its current condition is having a negative impact upon the local community.

The Housing Minister responded: “Local authorities already have strong powers to tackle poor property conditions.

“We encourage local authorities to take action where properties are neglected and their condition affects the amenity of an area. There are already extensive powers available to authorities, which range from notices under Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, which can deal with derelict land and buildings, to Section 29 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 for works on unoccupied buildings.”

He continued: “Council and housing association landlords are responsible for most repairs to their housing stock. Social landlords are obliged, by law, to maintain the structure and exterior of their properties.

“All properties in the social and private sectors must comply with the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. Where a property has serious hazards that present a risk to health and safety, local authorities can carry out an assessment under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. If they are aware of a serious hazard, they are under a duty to take appropriate action to address it.”

Recently, a proposed bill to improve housing standards in the private rental sector was reintroduced into Parliament. The Residential Landlords Association spoke out in support of the plans.

Landlords, make sure that you provide safe, secure and comfortable housing for your tenants, and stick to the law on property standards.