29th
Jun 2016
An accommodation house share service for landlords and tenants, has just held a survey and is claiming that 70% of HMO Investors are calling out for their local councils to take on those small numbers of landlords who tarnish the sector. They are demanding that the councils should carry out more inspections on rented properties and 48% are saying that landlords caught breaking the law should receive harsher penalties.
More than half believe that the current legislation is adequate and the introduction of new rules will not affect the riddance of bad HMOs.
Just fewer than 75% of those polled understood that once again it is the small minority of rogue landlords that rent out HMOs who cause negative press, however 50% admitted that having to comply with the current rules regarding HMOs was stressful.
Other research held by a landlords’ organisation highlights that in the space of eight years 2006 landlords had been prosecuted and been given an average fine of £1,500. The Times Newspaper says that more than 25% of councils had not made any prosecutions between 2010 and 2015 and 50% of councils had carried out no more than two each year.
Daniel Hill the MD of the house share firm, said: “As we all know, there a dark side to the UK’s rental market with unscrupulous landlords, renting HMOs to numerous tenants, which are neither safe or secure and openly flouting the law.
“More and more councils are re-examining inspection procedures and legislative guidelines surrounding the need for landlords to gain an HMO licence. However, our research shows that there are a large number of HMO landlords who believe that not enough is being done to stamp out slum landlords.
“The good news is that the majority of HMO landlords are taking a proactive approach, ensuring their properties meet all the latest legal requirements and regulations.”
News Archive »