Housing Minister Brandon Lewis has just announced a £5 million pot of cash will be made available to 48 councils to help them tackle the problem of rogue landlords. The pot will be shared between the individual councils.
Beds in Sheds Blight
Beds-in-sheds landlords are a massive problem in some parts of the country. Unfortunately these landlords are very difficult to find, so councils struggle to identify them in order to take legal action. The extra money will enable local council housing officers to conduct more raids on suspect properties, demolish garden buildings, and issue statutory notices.
In a statement published in the gov.uk website, the Housing Minister says:
“Many private rental tenants are happy with their home and the service they receive, but there are still rogue landlords that exploit vulnerable people and force their tenants to live in overcrowded and squalid accommodation.
“We are determined to tackle these rogues, which is why we are providing 48 councils with extra funding, so they can get rid of the cowboy operators in their area and bring an end to tenants living in miserable homes in the name of profit.
“We also want to raise the quality and choice of rental accommodation across the sector. The funding will ensure tenants know what level of service they can expect and have confidence to get help and take action if things go wrong.”
Housing and Planning Bill Proposals
The funding is part of a package included in the Housing and Planning Bill. Other measures include implementing a database of rogue landlords and ‘Right to Rent’ checks.
