On Wednesday the government announced plans for a crackdown on rogue landlords
who harass and rip off their tenants.
The Government Plans to Protect Tenants
Letting agents will be forced to join a redress scheme so that disgruntled
tenants are able to complain about poor service and hidden fees. And if the
complaints are subsequently upheld, they will then be able to claim
compensation.
Hitting Rogue Landlords Where It Hurts
Landlords in the private sector will also be affected by the government’s
plans to protect tenants living in rental accommodation. Plans are being drawn
up to introduce a code of practice for private landlords, which will lay out a
series of minimum standards landlords are expected to reach. The details have
yet to be finalised, but it is possible that landlords who let out sub-
standard properties may be required to repay rent if a property is found to be
dangerous. Landlords may also be asked to repay Housing Benefit.
Eric Pickles Speaks
As part of a statement published on Wednesday in the Independent, Eric
Pickles, the government’s Communities Secretary, said was quoted as saying:
“This Government is on the side of hard-working people and the last thing we
want to do is hurt tenants and kill investment by increasing costs and
strangling the sector with red tape. But tenants deserve better value for
money and dodgy landlords should be under no illusion they can provide a
shoddy service with impunity.”
The government hopes that these reforms will improve the private rental sector
by driving up standards and pushing out the rogue landlords.
