Tuesday 13th September 2011
New research published by Shelter today reveals that rogue landlords are operating unchecked across the country, even after they have been reported to local authorities.
The report shows that local councils are dragging their feet when it comes to enforcement action.
The housing and homelessness charity used Freedom of Information procedures to ask every local authority in England 12 key questions about the scale of problems with rogue landlords and what each council is doing about it.
Out of 326 local authorities, all but four replied.
The results show that there are 1,477 landlords known to local authorities who are said to be repeatedly making tenants’ lives a misery.
Of particular worry, the responses show that complaints about serious and potentially life-threatening hazards, including dangerous gas and electrics, have risen by 25% over the past two years.
The research also shows that overall complaints to local authorities about private landlords have increased, taking them to 86,628 in the last year.
Yet despite the sharp increase in problems, just 270 successful prosecutions have been brought by local authorities against landlords during the same period.
Shelter is warning that unless councils urgently crack down on this small but highly dangerous minority, more tenants will be at risk.
Campbell Robb, Shelter’s chief executive, said: “The reality is that rogue landlords are out there and they’re getting away with it.
“Every day at Shelter we see the devastating impact rogue landlords have on people’s lives as they remain trapped in homes that cause misery and, in some cases, put lives at risk.
“What’s more, we believe there could be thousands more tenants who are suffering in silence, holding back from complaining out of fear of the consequences or because they don’t feel their voices will be heard.
“Local authorities have the powers to tackle rogue landlords but too many aren’t making the most of their armoury.
“They must follow the lead of those councils taking a zero tolerance approach to rogue landlords, and support tenants who are suffering by cracking down on the worst offenders in their area.”
Citizens Advice chief executive Gillian Guy said the Shelter report was deeply concerning. She said: “Good landlords respond effectively to reasonable requests from tenants around repairs, maintenance and health and safety issues.
“However, we still see tenants threatened with eviction from rogue landlords if they complain. We have long campaigned on this issue.
“Tenants need protection from retaliatory eviction and other forms of harassment. This timely report from Shelter shows that the problem has not gone away.”
As part of its Evict Rogue Landlords campaign, Shelter has set up Rogue Landlord Watch, an interactive map to help people avoid falling victim to rogue operators in their local area.
