Industry News
NRLA and Crisis call on Government to provide clarity on Renters (Reform) Bill
Te NRLA, in collaboration with leading anti-homelessness charity Crisis, has published a joint letter calling for the Government to urgently provide clarity on the future of the Renters (Reform) Bill. With speculation about possible
draſt amendments to the Bill rife across the national press, it is critical that the Government take steps to update key stakeholders on the direction of travel with respect to these proposed rental reforms. Addressed to DLUHC Secretary of State
Michael Gove MP, the letter’s contents are as follows:
Dear Secretary of State,
Te Renters (Reform) Bill represents the biggest set of changes to the private rented sector for over 30 years. It is vital that it supports tenants and responsible landlords and prevents homelessness. Over recent weeks a number of
media reports have suggested that the Government is considering amendments to the Bill. Te rumour, speculation and a litany of
off-the record briefings are causing a huge amount of concern and uncertainty for tenants and responsible landlords. We therefore call on the Government
to publish, as a matter of urgency and in full, any amendments it might now be considering so that all parties can judge for themselves what is on the table and debate the substance in public. Time is running out to ensure that this Bill can complete its passage through Parliament with the proper consideration it deserves. Te lack of progress and uncertainty
about the future is destabilising and damaging for those living and working in the private-rented sector. Tis has to end. In light of the public interest in this matter we plan to make this letter public.
Yours sincerely,
Ben Beadle, chief executive, National Residential Landlords Association Matt Downie, chief executive, Crisis
If you have any questions in relation to the above letter, please email
press@nrla.org.uk
G
overnment data has revealed that councils in England are only inspecting about half of the privately rented properties where they
receive reports of damp and mould. A recent Government survey of more than 300
councils found they inspected 11,897 homes for serious damp and mould in 2021/22, the latest year for which data is available, despite receiving 23,727 complaints in total. It is understood that budget cuts and shortages
of staff resources have contributed to the current situation. Nearly 85% of councils included in the data said a lack of funding and resources was the biggest or second biggest impediment to their ability to hold private landlords to account. In the majority (87%) of cases where illegal and
dangerous levels of damp and mould were identified (defined as Category 1 or Category 2 hazards) councils usually opted to follow an informal resolution. Tis is both cheaper and potentially quicker, without the need for court appearances. In the relatively few instances where they
took formal action, council officers issued 1,539 improvement notices (these are legal orders that force landlords to make improvements), 105 fixed penalty notices and they undertook just 27 prosecutions against landlords for serious damp and mould in homes in 2021/22. Tis is despite a heightening of the concerns
about the impact and danger of mould and damp since the mould-related death in 2020 of toddler Awaab Ishak in Rochdate. Te number of fines issued and prosecutions pursued by councils dropped between 2020/21 and 2021/22. Staff at more than two-thirds of councils also said the housing health and safety rating system – the
12 | HMMApril/May 2024 |
www.housingmmonline.co.uk
main legal framework used to maintain quality in the private rented sector – needed to be reformed, with at least one council suggesting it was “not fit for purpose”. “Councils do everything they can to tackle bad
practice and are taking action, as appropriate, to raise standards in the private rented sector,” said councillor Darren Rodwell, the housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association (LGA). “However, many local enforcement teams do
not currently have the resources and capacity to proactively tackle poor standards in the private rental sector due to the severe financial constraints facing councils.” Te summary on the mould and damp
data found almost two-thirds of councils had five or fewer full-time staff working on housing standards and enforcement for private landlords. Councils with the biggest and most proactive housing enforcement teams were those that had opted to implement a licensing scheme for private landlords. “Enforcement budgets have been stretched to
the limit,” said Roz Spencer, a director of housing charity Safer Renting. “With existing resources, even the Office for National Statistics reckons only 35% of private landlords are compliant with the law and just over one in five privately rented homes is ‘decent’.” “If councils are to add the long-term health
risks [of damp and mould] on to a level playing field with the more immediate risks they will need more money. Without it, they’ll be forced to choose between short-term threats say, fire safety, on the one hand and damp and mould on the other. People can and do die from both.”
English councils only inspecting half of mould reports in private rental housing
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
