Rogue landlords face six months in prison under plans for rental overhaul
Sub-par landlords could face six months in prison for letting cold and old homes under plans to overhaul the private rented sector.
Sub-par landlords could face six months in prison for letting cold and old homes under plans to overhaul the private rented sector.
Proposals published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities would see landlords who fail to keep their properties warm and in good repair potentially prosecuted in a magistrate’s court – where a judge can deliver a maximum prison sentence of half a year.
The Government intends to roll out a new minimum standard across the private rented market, similar to that currently in place for local authority housing, in a bid to stamp out poor practice and unsafe homes.
In a consultation published on Friday ministers revealed plans for a legal duty on landlords to ensure their properties meet the new standard and are in a "reasonable state of repair".
Those who breach the new rules would face a civil penalty or prosecution in a magistrates’ court and would be banned from operating in the rental market.
Currently, landlords who do not provide meet minimum standards face either a civil penalty of £30,000 or can be handed an unlimited fine by a court and banned from ever leasing property again.
The Decent Homes Standard is currently not legally binding in the private rental sector, although there are strict rules around gas and electrical safety which if breached can land a landlord in prison.
It is part of the biggest overhaul to the private rented sector in a generation as the Government seeks to crackdown on sub-par rentals
The DLUHC said: “The current enforcement system largely places the obligation on local councils to identify hazards in privately rented properties and take enforcement action against the landlord, who must then comply.
“This creates an environment where some landlords are not proactive in ensuring their property meets requirements and rather wait for an inspection to be told what improvements need to be made whilst tenants live in unacceptable conditions.”
Former Levelling Up minister Michael Gove pledged earlier this year to halve the number of poor-quality rentals over the next eight years.
The new rules could prove costly for landlords just as they are also forced into £10,000 eco-upgrades to meet the Government’s Energy Performance Certificate targets. Experts have warned more will sell up adding to the rental sector's severe shortage of homes that has pushed up rents.
Ben Beadle, of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: "All the laws in the world will do nothing without improved enforcement against the minority of landlords who tarnish the reputation of the responsible, law-abiding majority.
"That requires properly resourced councils tackling the criminals and rogues, whilst allowing the responsible majority to easily prove their home is safe and compliant."
