Nigel Huddleston – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Huddleston on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, by what measures landlords may be held responsible for the anti-social behaviour of their tenants in houses of multiple occupation.

Brandon Lewis

Where a house in multiple occupation requires a licence, the local authority can attach a condition to the licence which specifies how the licence holder deals with the behaviour of occupiers. Breach of a licence condition is an offence subject to a fine of up to £5,000.

The local authority can also, subject to approval from a First Tier Property Tribunal, make Special Interim Management Orders to take over the management of individual private rented properties which give rise to significant problems of anti-social behaviour if the landlord does not take action to deal with the problem.

The Government is commited to raising standards in houses in multiple occupation more generally, so they are a safe place to live in and do not blight the neighbourhoods in which they are found. We will shortly engage with the sector on options for extending the scope of mandatory licensing of houses in multiple occupation.