LETTINGSnews


LANDLORDS


Rogue landlords on the increase


New research from Shelter says that rogue landlords are blighting the lives of more and more people across


the country.


The housing and homelessness charity contacted every local authority in England to build a picture of both the scale of the problem with rogue landlords and what is being done to tackle it. Local authorities admit there are


1,477 known landlords who are giving local authorities continued cause for concern and 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 per cent over the past two years. The research also shows that


overall complaints about landlords have increased, taking them to a staggering 86,628 in the last year. Yet despite the sharp increase in


problems, just 270 successful prosecutions have been made 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 put 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 peoples’ lives as they remain trapped in homes that cause misery and, in some cases, put lives at risk. 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.”


RESEARCH More choosing to rent than buy


Research published by Endsleigh reveal that in some parts of the UK twice the number of people are renting (45 per cent) than owning their own home (23 per cent). The data also ranks the top


ten regions for renting; Middlesex has over three times as many renters (51 per cent) than buyers (16 per cent). It is closely followed by East Sussex (48 per cent), Surrey (46 per cent) and Berkshire (46 per cent). Six of the top ten regions are in the South East, and all of the top ten are in the Southern part of the UK. Despite the majority of


renters (92 per cent) ranging between 16 and 50 years old, and having different needs and wants from their property, all ages said they liked the flexibility of renting because there is more freedom to move


Region


Middlesex 51% East Sussex 48% Surrey


Berkshire 46% Suffolk Dorset


46% 45%


Hampshire 43% Gwent


Somerset 41% Kent


44% 41% 40%


between areas and into different types of accommodation. Over half (62 per cent) of renters surveyed are living in a property that is in a totally different location to their previous accommodation. In spite of ongoing concerns


about the UK economy, job market, and residential property sector, Endsleigh also found that three out of five (62 per cent) renters intend on buying a property within the next five years. Carlos Thompson,


Endsleigh’s Head of Business Development, said, “The impact of the recession on the value of properties has meant that some home owners have opted to rent rather than sell, subsequently increasing the amount of supply in the lettings market.


Tenant Own Home Living with Parents Other 16% 17% 25% 18% 26% 19% 20% 24% 26% 26%


21% 26% 17% 20% 25% 20% 26% 29% 25% 24%


More than two thirds (67 per


cent) of smokers admit that they want to improve their health and well-being by giving up – which may be good news considering that eight per cent of respondents said they would not live in a property that had been previously occupied by a smoker. But the news is even worse for


RESEARCH Smokers, the new undesirables


As strict non-smoking zones spread across the country, Britain’s property market has become a battleground in the war on smoking, says research by Globrix. The study found that 24 per cent of buyers would expect a discount on the property price if there was evidence of a smoker


having previously lived there. A further 40 per cent of people


said they would think twice about renting a property if the previous tenant had been a smoker. Five years after the smoking


ban came into force, 81 per cent of Brits say that they are fully in support of it.


smokers who are looking to rent. With demand higher than ever for rental accommodation, 60 per cent of the landlords surveyed said they would not consider letting out a property to tenants that smoke, with half saying they would increase the rent for smoking tenants.


A third of landlords confirmed


they had even held back deposit money to cover the cost of cleaning or repairing homes that have been smoke damaged in the past. Of those tenants who do smoke, 22 per cent admitted to


12% 9%


12% 16% 5%


16% 11% 6% 9%


10%


having smoked inside homes that they knew were non-smoking and 39 per cent of smokers said they would not tell a potential landlord if they were a smoker. Jennifer Warner from Globrix


said, “Since the introduction of the ban, smokers have found themselves becoming increasingly marginalised in society and now tenants and landlords are following in the footsteps of businesses by taking the hard line when it comes to smoking indoors. “It is no surprise that in today’s


ultra-competitive rental market, landlords are coming down hard on smokers, penalising them with higher rental charges and in many cases refusing to let properties to smokers at all. “The fact that 60 per cent of landlords wouldn’t let out a property to smoking tenants highlights the growing anti- smoking culture in the UK.”


PROPERTYdrum OCTOBER 2011 57


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