16^th Dec 2018

A government minister said the phrase ”rogue landlords” is too “cuddly” and he wants buy to let investors who broke the law to be called “bastard landlords” - he did suggest that perhaps an even stronger term would be preferable but could not 'possibly' provide further examples.

The 'forthright' phrase was used in the recent House of Lords debate on the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth when summing up on behalf of the government.

The Bill was originally introduced in the Commons by Karen Buck MP and is supported by all parties, and if passed, will give tenants the powers to sue landlords for compensation because of the unfit habitation conditions of their properties.

Lord Bourne is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, and Wales.

In the early part of his summing up he said: “This fairly short Bill builds on work we have been doing to improve housing conditions and tackle rogue landlords. I must say that, although I am as guilty of using it as anyone else, I wish we could get away from the phrase ‘rogue landlords’ because it tends to make them sound a little too cuddly for my liking. ‘Bastard landlords’ or something stronger would probably be more appropriate because they are far from being cuddly.”

The Lords, unsurprisingly, approved the Second Reading of the Bill, and could amend the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, and the Building Act 1984.

It is virtually a foregone conclusion that the Bill will be passed and come into force in the latter half of next year. Landlords will have to make sure that that their property if 'fit for human habitation' throughout the whole of the tenancy, from start to finish.

If landlords fail to comply then tenants will have the legal right to take them to court for breaching the contract because the properties are not fit for human habitation and to claim compensation.


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