Landlords who put lives at risk ‘should be jailed’, councils say
Landlords who commit housing offences must face tougher punishments, including jail sentences, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.
The LGA, which represents councils in England and Wales, said many rogue landlords were receiving “paltry” fines for breaching housing rules.
In one case 10 people, including children, were living in a property infested with cockroaches and mice.
Currently the highest penalty for housing offences is a fine.
The LGA said a small minority of landlords were “creating misery” for tenants.
Rotherham Politics 
How do landlords become eligible to house tenants’ whose rent is paid by the tax payer?
Surely there must be some tick box check list that has to be completed, a bundle of evidence to support a fit for purpose property including a Gas Safe certificate etc.
This statement from the LGA looks like lazy local government, if they showed some teeth, set above basic standards and enforced them, then we the tax payer would not to have to foot the bill for exploitive landlords and lazy officials.
This will never happen in Rotherham, community cohesion comes first.
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The issue behind this issue is how do some of these people acquire the wherewithal to have a properly portfolio. HMRC should have some of them in for questioning, whilst hooked up to a polygraph.
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Hopefully with a real labour leader with a fair and just approach they will stop the exploitation of tenants and where council rents spiral upwards rather than drive down rents in the private sector.
Like the tories, Blair and his cohorts left it to the unfettered market and we now see the result with social cleansing and ghetto areas in our towns and cities.
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Had it not been for Labour’s unfettered immigration policy there’d be no need for social cleansing and ghettos.
The divisive and threatening situation in Rotherham is entirely due to local and national Labour policies. Hoping for Corbyn’s crowd to change this will prove to be a very long wait. Integration will take generations and so keeping a lid on it will have to do.
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Ged, ever heard of “cloud cuckoo land”? You live in it!
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pakistani landlords in eastwood have put a whole community at risk , the state of some of those house’s are sicking not fit for humans while the mr bigs of the landlord world coin it in .
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It will never happen whilst Rotherham Clowncil are scared stiff of the Pakistani’s. It’s all taking place in the Pakistani underworld where tenants are afraid to complain because they will be thrown out the landlords who are so above the law they do whatever they want.
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I think this site has a majority of posters who either haven’t the faintest idea what they are on about or are congenitally unable to check facts before they post…………or, as is the case here, mainly both.
– The succession of English House Condition surveys show that the number of non-decent homes (ie below standard), including the private rented sector has continued to fall. It is lower now than at any time in the last century. [And Ged, who seems to permanently wear some peculiar blinkers – the biggest drop in non-decent homes in all sectors was under the Blair government’s Decent Homes Programme.]
– The vast majority of private tenancies don’t involve councils at all. They are private arrangements between landlords and tenants. [Please note Mr Anon.]
– Housing benefit is a government scheme which is administered by councils, with very little discretion in the regulations. [Please note Mr Anon. There is no Tick-box or any other state of repair qualification which affects housing benefit.]
– Councils do have powers to intervene where housing standards are dangerous (eg utilities are a danger) or dangerous to health (serious damp or infestation) or where the landlord is in breach of particular management requirements………. but not generally.
If people think that the legally prescribed housing standards are not being met or that landlords are fiddling their tax returns, they should report it……… and then come on here and tell us the result.
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When the vast majority of protesters against the new landlord licensing scheme were Pakistani and a large percentage being taxi drivers, a low paying job, unless they’re involved in many of the fiddles of this trade, it is a reasonable question to ask: where has the money come from to acquire a property portfolio. It may not just tax evasion, it is well known many are involved in drug dealing, but of course that makes me racist for mentioning their race, doesn’t it.
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The problem with the licensing scheme is that it is only happening in selected areas, there only certain designated areas in Dinnington the rest don’t have to have a license; and only 50% have registered. The council is hoping to draw up a list of landlords who are registered so that any one wanting to rent a house can see who is legitimate. But unless this goes Borough and Nation wide it will have very limited effect on dealing with rogue landlords.
Dave Smith
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the list is being made public anyone wishing to view it needs to contact rmbc .
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