Another week and another Newsround, the team has been busy this week but let’s see what has caught their eye in the housing news.
Damp & Mould causes mental stress to tenants
A new survey out this week claims that tenants experience anxiety when living with damp and mould issues especially when they remain an ongoing issue.
‘Health Issues’ who ran the survey claim that 29% of renters have experienced damp or mould problems where their landlord had not resolved the problem. 40% of tenants have admitted that dealing with damp and mould had given them stress, anxiety or depression.
English Housing Survey is calling for the Decent Homes Standard implementation date of 2035 to be brought forward saying that ‘renters should not have to live in homes that could damage their health for another decade’. They want the government to bring in a Warm Homes Plan to help those that need the most support when living in sub standard rental properties.
Ten year letting ban for landlord
A First Tier Property Tribunal has given a rogue landlord, Anthony Hall a ten year ban from renting our properties for his continual breaches on licensing and housing laws, in addition to ignoring improvement notices detailing severe health and safety breaches and electrical hazards.
The judge said that his crimes had had a severe impact on his tenants. Gateshead Council who brought the prosecution said that if a suitable alternative person was not put in place to oversee the management of the properties they would take out a management order.
Interestingly only 40 landlords have been held accountable to banning orders in the last ten years, with most of them only for one and five years.
Fears that Renters’ Rights Act will drive out small landlords – unfounded?
Concerns were raised in parliament this week that the Renters Right Act will force the smaller landlords out of the private rental market, thus reducing housing stock and causing rents to rise, but Matthew Pennycook did not agree and said that ‘not all regulation is bad’ and this new act will help landlords as the grounds for possession have been made simpler.
The Housing Minister also re-iterated that rent controls were not being considered and that the new act will allow tenants to now be able to challenge rent increases via the first tier tribunal. He also stated that the act will remain ‘under continual review’.
Tougher penalties called for illegal landlords
The independent Sentencing Council has launched a consultation asking for tougher non-financial penalties, such as custodial and community orders, for landlords who consistently breach housing regulations.
These include offences such as unlawful eviction, harassment, failing to comply with improvement and prohibition notices, and licensing offences. The stakeholders of this are local councils, the government and lawyers who claim that some sentences do not bear any relation to the severity of the offences.
They claim that because there is regular inconsistency in sentences, local authorities are often loath to prosecute.
The consultation runs until 9th April; you can read the full document here.
Landlord Associations – back to the future
I was interested to read on LandlordZone of a new national group for landlords, the Voice of Landlords Association. Its a not-for-profit organisation set up by the Chair of the Eastern Landlords Association, Paul Cunningham. The idea is that it will represent all the smaller landlord organisations at National level.
It reminds me of many years ago (could be about 20) when there was a similar setup. I can’t remember the name of the national group but it was the same idea, an umbrella group for smaller associations.
From what I remember, it fell apart because the different organisations kept arguing with each other. I hope this initiative is more successful.
Snippets
Letting agent banned for persistent failure to license homes
The trouble with friendlords: the pitfalls of renting from a mate
Another landlord group threatens legal action over licensing
Why do some buy-to-let landlords thrive while others want to sell-up?
Labour should ‘buy the supply’ of housing from landlords
See also our Quick News Updates on Landlord Law
Newsround will be back again next week