Shelter says rogue landlords are threatening rental market

News Category: Industry News

An investigation by the homelessness charity Shelter has found a number of rogue landlords who treat their tenants appallingly.  

It says that whilst the abuse is widespread, it is only by a minority of landlords in the sector.

Shelter conducted a survey of environmental health officers (EHOs) and found that over 90% who deal directly with private renters had encountered landlords harassing or illegally evicting tenants.

Almost 100% of EHOs have encountered landlords who persistently ignore their responsibilities, and over 90% said they had encountered cases of severe damp, mould, electrical or fire safety hazards in properties they investigated in the last year.
 
One officer cited a property being rented out with absolutely no heating, hot water or electricity. Another witnessed a case where a mother and her young child lived with no kitchen facilities, no fire precautions and only a halogen heater to heat the house.  

Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said: “It is simply not acceptable that people are handing over their hard-earned cash to live in houses that are run-down, squalid and in some cases even dangerous.

“Our investigation shows just how ruthless a minority of rogue landlords can be. But this is not just the odd crook here and there. We know there are people operating in cities up and down the county, and it’s clear that this is a national problem that urgently needs a national solution.

Over half (51%) of EHOs said that a lack of staff is the main barrier which prevents them from bringing more prosecutions.

Andrew Griffiths, principal policy officer of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, said: “This survey emphasises the importance for local authorities to have clear enforcement strategies in place to deal with the worst properties and the most vulnerable tenants. Strategies should not be based solely on complaints; they should ensure that rogue landlords do not evade.
 
“With more and more people set to become private tenants in the future, it is absolutely vital that we expose and drive out the worst offenders in the private rented sector.
 
“The Government needs to wake up to the reality of the problem and work with councils to develop a tough programme of action to root out rogue landlords. The minority who do break the rules should be prosecuted and struck off immediately to prevent anyone else being exploited in the future.

“We want to expose and evict as many rogue operators in the private rented sector as possible.”


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