A joint report produced by the Electrical Safety Council (ESC) and the Local
Government Intelligence Unit (LGiU) has concluded that there is far too much
bureaucracy in central government and this is preventing local councils from
taking steps to stamp out rogue landlords in their boroughs.
Stricter Controls Needed
The report published by the think-tank recommends that local councils should
place landlords operating in the private sector under stricter control. The
authors of the report believe that stricter controls will help to raise the
living standards of tenants living in the private sector.
Poorer Living Conditions in Buy to Let Housing
One of the claims made by the report’s authors is that tenants renting in the
private rental sector are facing living conditions that lag behind those of
people living in social housing and owner-occupied homes. They say that safety
standards in many privately rented homes. Because of this, additional safety
requirements should be introduced at a national level.
According to the chief exec of the LGiU: “The massive growth of the private
rented sector presents a variety of challenges. While most private rented
properties meet appropriate standards, a minority of landlords actively pursue
criminal activity to the detriment of those living in their properties.”
Improving Standards in the Private Sector
In order to improve standards in the private sector, the report makes a number
of suggestions, including:
- Giving councils greater powers to enforce housing laws;
- Changing the law to allow councils to licence buy to let properties of poor standard and
- Allowing councils to make their own decision on whether to introduce compulsory landlord accreditation schemes.
