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Tenants Let Down by Local Authorities when Suffering with Rogue Landlords
This article is an external press release originally published on the Landlord News website, which has now been migrated to the Just Landlords blog.
Tenants are being let down by local authorities when they suffer at the hands of rogue landlords, according to the Residential Landlords Association (RLA).
Tenants Let Down by Local Authorities when Suffering with Rogue Landlords
The landlord body spoke out after shocking new figures from housing charity Shelter revealed that around one million tenants have been the victims of rogue landlords in the past year.
The charity claimed that one in eight tenants have suffered issues with landlords that break the law. Some of the problems highlighted by the research include landlords entering properties without consent, deposits not being protected, tenants being abused or harassed, and discrimination on the grounds of race, nationality and gender.
The report also suggests that 64,000 tenants have had their utilities cut off by rogue landlords, while 50,000 have had their belongings thrown out or the locks changed on their properties.
Now, the RLA claims that local authorities are not using the powers available to them to tackle rogue landlords and protect tenants.
The Chief Executive of the RLA, Andrew Goodacre, says: “Figures from the English Housing Survey show that 82% of tenants are happy with their rented accommodation, but we recognise that there are landlords who do not abide by the law.
“The RLA is fully supportive of regulations that protect tenants, but the reality is that we can regulate all we like, but without proper enforcement, it becomes meaningless. Tenants are being let down by local authorities, who are failing to properly enforce the powers available to them to tackle the criminal minority of landlords.”
A helpline advisor at Shelter, Danielle Goodwin, speaks of her experiences: “Every day at Shelter, we speak to people at the end of their tether after a law-breaking landlord has caused chaos in their lives.
“These range from instances where the renter has been unaware of their rights, to cases where renters are exploited and subjected to terrible experiences by a minority of law-breaking landlords.”
We remind all landlords that they must stick to the law and protect their tenants at all times. Keep up to date with your responsibilities and any changes to the law at LandlordNews.co.uk.
