11^th Sep 2019

Over the past eighteen months Oxford City Council has been using a plane with thermal imaging to bring 'rogue' landlords to justice for making tenants live in properties that are woefully sub standard.

Throughout the last year and a half the council's plane thermal imaging capability has been responsible for finding tenants being forced to live in atrocious surroundings, with several found living in 'Beds in Sheds'.

The council, supported by a £274,942 government grant, has successfully discovered 21 'Beds in Sheds' which have subsequently been shut down and has also served 31 enforcement notices on landlords.

Council inspections found numerous buildings that were dangerously overcrowded conditions, electrical hazards and fire safety problems; some structures that had no form of heating, hot water or proper and hygienic sanitation facilities.

The plane's infra red imaging also discovered 70 plus privately-rented homes in dire need of inspection and also found a number of properties that the council's HMO enforcement team have or will investigate.

The Cabinet member for housing, Councillor Linda Smith, cabinet member said: “Oxford has the highest proportion of private rented homes in the country and every private tenant should have a decent roof over their head.

“We work proactively to drive up standards in private rented housing and we won’t tolerate rogue landlords exploiting tenants by providing substandard and dangerous housing – whether this is a bed in a shed, a house in multiple occupation or a family home.

“Conditions in some of these beds in sheds are appalling and we won’t accept this.”




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