Welcome to our weekly Newsround. Lets see what news items we have for you today.
Minister’s resignation after eviction and re-let at higher rent
Homelessness minister Rushanar Ali has had to resign after she evicted tenants and then re-let her property to new tenants at a higher rent.
She states that she complied with the rules, and indeed it looks as if she has. The current rules, that is. The point is though, that under the forthcoming Renters Rights Bill, re-letting a property within 12 months of an eviction notice based on the landlord’s need to sell will be an offence punishable by up to £7,000. Plus, she has apparently been vocal about landlords exploiting renters.
It just goes to show that politicians have to be very careful to comply with their own rhetoric.
Director of campaigns at Shelter, Mairi MacRae said
It beggars belief that after months of dither and delay, the government’s own homelessness minister has profited from the underhand tactics the renters’ rights bill is meant to outlaw.
Whopping fine for HMO landlord
A landlord has been fined £33,698 for breaching two prohibition orders served against him. He has previously been fined for failing to license his HMO property and is facing a London Fire Brigade enforcement notice over fire safety issues.
This prosecution was brought under the Proceeds of Crime Act , and the Crown Court Judge ordered him to pay the fine or spend two years in jail (always assuming that is, a place can be found for him there). It looks like the law has caught up with him in a big way!
Council leader Ray Morgon said
We … won’t tolerate landlords not having the correct licences and breaching said licences, as this case shows, we will take the strongest action possible.
Will the new database stop illegal landlords?
An interesting post here has comments from Sean Hooker, Head of Redress at Property Redress, saying that council licensing and the government’s new landlord database could do a lot to help stop rogue landlords. Saying
Licensing schemes … where properly enforced, …have raised standards. However, this depends heavily on how well local authorities are resourced and how effectively they work with the rental community to create a collaborative and cooperative landscape.
… The proposed private rented sector database, which will require all rental properties to be registered nationally, has huge potential to make a difference if rolled out effectively.
Better data sharing would enable authorities to focus on where criminality is going under the radar. There is also an ongoing need to help educate tenants about their rights, where to access help and to reduce the fear that making a complaint will leave them homeless.
This follows a BBC program on illegal HMOs in London.
However, Hooker goes on to say
We know that when rules are tightened, the worst offenders simply find new ways to bypass them.
Once the Renters Rights Bill becomes law, it is likely we will see a rise in creative criminal practices such as sham licences, illegal subletting, and exploitative rent-to-rent arrangements.
Until we can clearly distinguish between what a safe, transparent and well-regulated sector looks like, and shine a beacon on this, the rogue element will continue to operate in the shadows, endangering tenants and destroying the reputation of those who play by the book.
Snippets
Rising rents “stopping people on low incomes from retiring” – claim
Landlords pivot from residential to office space – new figures
Prince William unveils plan for affordable housing to end youth homelessness
New all-electric town in Kent strikes deal to supply power back to the grid
Angry landlord demands letting agents be regulated
On the Naughty Step – a “gratuity for us being fantastic landlords”. Landlord conduct in a rent repayment order claim.
Think tank claims that Right-to-Buy has become “England’s biggest housing disaster”
See also our Quick News Updates on Landlord Law
Newsround will be back again next week