Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2016-02-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they intend to take against landlords who fail to maintain their properties in a safe and fit state of repair.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System assesses the health and safety risks in all residential properties. Under the Housing Act 2004, following an Rating System inspection, if a local authority identifies a serious hazard they can take action, including issuing an Improvement Notice or a Hazard Awareness Notice. In extreme circumstances, the local authority may decide to make repairs themselves, or to prohibit that property from being rented out. Where a landlord fails to comply with a statutory notice, this is an offence, and they can be prosecuted by the local authority. From October 2015 we introduced protection for tenants from retaliatory eviction, where they have a legitimate complaint about the condition of the property.
The Housing and Planning Bill will strengthen local authorities’ ability and incentives to tackle rogue landlords by introducing measures including:
- A database of rogue landlords and property agents convicted of certain offences;
- Banning orders for the most serious and prolific offenders;
- Civil penalties of up to £30,000 as an alternative to prosecution;
- Extension of Rent Repayment Orders to cover illegal eviction, breach of a banning order or failure to comply with a statutory notice;
- A more stringent fit and proper person test for landlords of licensable properties such as Houses in Multiple Occupation.
My Department also recently announced a further £5 million of funding across 48 local authorities to tackle the worst rogue landlords in their areas.
