Housing Minister Kris Hopkins announced on December 30th 2013, that a £4million pot will be awarded to twenty three councils across the country in their fight to take on rogue landlords.

This comes in light of the widespread coverage of “beds in sheds” operated by unscrupulous landlords who make tenants suffer squalid and unsafe properties causing them to live in abject misery.

In the last two years over 500 rented outhouses that were illegal, have been found out and their owners taken to court.

 

£2.6 million has already been awarded to nine councils in the fight to eradicate this problem. 

Mr Hopkins hopes that the funding which forms part of a package of measures will help millions of tenants to get a much better deal when renting homes.

 

The other measures are:

 

The new law that has now been passed and implemented from the beginning of Dec 2013, gives courts power to take into consideration of landlords’ assets as well as their income when handing out fines for housing offences.

 

The introduction of the redress scheme requiring all lettings agents to join one of several approved schemes, so that tenants can resolve issues quickly if they feel that they are not getting the service that they deserve.

 

A voluntary code of practice on property management is to be undertaken by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, who will be hosting an initial workshop this month to get the work started. The code will set standards for the management of rental properties, so tenants will know what level of service they should expect from their landlord.

 

Housing Minister Kris Hopkins said:

“The majority of tenants are happy with their home, but the private rental market is still afflicted by too many ‘unscrupulous Scrooges’: miserly landlords who rent dangerous, dirty and overcrowded properties without a thought for the welfare of their tenants.

“That’s why we’re providing 23 councils with extra funding, so they can root out the cowboys and rogue operators in their area, and consign these scenes of Dickensian destitution to where they belong: the history books.

 

“We also want to raise the quality and choice of rental accommodation across the whole sector. Today’s measures will continue our progress, ensuring tenants know what level of service they can expect and, if things do go wrong, giving them the confidence to get help and take action.”

 

Today’s measures to tackle rogue landlords are part of an ambitious package of proposals in a determined effort to make sure that England’s nine million private tenants no longer suffer from hidden fees from letting agents, that they can ask for longer term rental deals and have the confidence to make sure that they have better standards and management of their property by landlords.

Last week’s publication now allows the government to begin to start approving redress schemes. Approximately 40% of lettings and property management agents, 3,000 or so, have not joined a scheme at present, however they must be signed up to one by October this year.

 

The twenty-three councils across the country who will receive funding to help tackle rogue landlords in their area are:

Barnsley £230,000
Blackpool £293,000
Bolton £56,000
Boston £109,000
Bournemouth £134,000
Croydon £82,000
Derby £238,000
Fenland £179,000
Hastings £204,000
Herefordshire £54,000
Hounslow £260,000
Lambeth £82,000
Leeds £125,000
Lewisham £125,000
Medway £64,000
Newham £1,028,000
Nottingham £124,000
Oxford £150,000
Pennine Lancashire £109,000
Plymouth £68,000
Rochdale £111,000
Rossendale £79,000
Sheffield £145,000
(Total: £4,049,000)