27th
May 2015
Starting from 2011 until March 2014 throughout the Capital there have been in total 580 housing prosecutions under the Housing Act 2004
The five most ‘lively’ councils were Newham, Haringey, Camden, Redbridge and Southwark.
Out of the 580 prosecutions Newham was by far the most active with 359, Haringey had 57 and Camden 20.
Under the Housing Act there are many offences that councils can take landlords to court. These range from not following out the orders of an Improvement notice to remedy dangerous hazards within a property, not following the correct procedures, licensing or safety precautions within HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) or by not obeying a Prohibition Order.
With Newham’s introduction of its borough wide selective and additional schemes in January 2013, it was made mandatory that every rented property had to be licensed, since then there has been a staggering increase in enforcement action.
The 359 housing prosecutions by Newham Council, is higher than all of the other boroughs totted up together.
The eight capital boroughs that have not taken out any prosecutions within the same three year period are: - Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, Brent, City of London, Enfield, Havering, Merton and Richmond upon Thames.
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