I’m used to reading stories in the press about greedy landlords who refuse to spend money on their properties, but still expect the monthly rent to be paid on time. Sadly this is becoming an increasingly common situation with the rise in people moving into the private rental sector, but even so, when a BBC news story tells me that almost a third of private rented properties in a large city do not meet basic living standards, it does give me cause for concern!
According to the BBC news story (which was quoting figures given to them by Shelter, the leading housing charity), almost 30% of rented homes in Bristol are in a poor state of repair, with no modern facilities and inadequate heating.
The charity says it is seeing large numbers of people coming to them with tales of damp, mouldy, and sometimes dangerous homes. One case quoted described a completely appalling state of affairs: the young tenant had been forced to live in a rented house with a leaking roof and holes in the ceilings, but although the landlord was aware of the problems, he did nothing about them. And to make matters worse, the council housing officer bluntly told her that they could come and inspect the property, tell the landlord to do the work, but the most likely outcome would be an eviction notice served to her, which is hardly a great incentive.
The council has of course defended itself by saying it does prosecute ‘bad’ landlords, but efforts to improve the standards in the private sector are hindered by a lack of funding…
