BBC’s Panorama – The return of ‘slum landlords’

BBC’s Panorama – The return of ‘slum landlords’

11:42 AM, 27th March 2023, About A year ago 26

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A BBC investigation will highlight that council houses that were built to house tenants to protect them from ‘slum landlords’ have been sold under the Right to Buy scheme and are now being let by ‘slum landlords’.

Lord Richard Best, from the Affordable Housing Commission, says the housing situation has now gone ‘full circle’.

The Panorama programme is called ‘What’s Gone Wrong With Our Housing’ and is broadcast tonight (Monday).

The team also confronts one alleged slum landlord with allegations that he had illegally evicted a tenant – which the local council didn’t know about but is now investigating.

Built to protect people from slum landlords

The programme description states that millions of council houses were built after the Second World War to help protect people from slum landlords and were home to a third of the UK population.

Then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s flagship right-to-buy policy boosted home ownership, but the council house sell-off is causing major problems 40 years on.

Panorama states that many former council properties are now in the hands of private landlords and, in some parts of the country, rents are going ‘through the roof, and slum landlords are back’.

The team then visits a council estate in Lewisham to tell the story of a council house tenant who bought her terraced home in the 1980s, before selling it and moving away.

Property is now home to six small flats

The former property is now home to six small flats and one of the tenants shows the woman his flat which is the converted kitchen.

Panorama says the six tenants are each paying nearly £1,000 a month, mostly with housing benefits.

The programme names the landlord and says he owns other converted houses in the block and is earning ‘hundreds of thousands of pounds’ a year.

Lord Best says: “This is an absolute disgrace. The plan was to get rid of those slum landlords in the first place.

“We created the social housing, and the wheel has turned full circle. This is like the days of Victorian slums of yesteryear.”

‘Fit and proper person test’

The reporter says that the landlord ‘shouldn’t even be a landlord or control the property’ because he illegally evicted a former tenant – and if he had told the council, he would ‘have found it difficult to pass the fit and proper person test’.

In response, the landlord says there are inaccuracies in the allegations but doesn’t specify what they are.

The landlord is approached in the street by the Panorama team but refuses to answer questions and Lewisham council says it is now investigating the landlord.


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Comments

Deborah Dwyer

9:05 AM, 1st April 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by DSR at 27/03/2023 - 17:51
Yes, you’ve nailed the agenda. I have seen several articles pumped out by the BBC recently about nasty Landlords evicting tenants (one who was bereaved) from properties because they want to sell up and get out …. All a one- sided narrative.

philip allen

17:31 PM, 1st April 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Judith Wordsworth at 27/03/2023 - 12:31
Having now watched the programme, which perhaps you should have done before commenting, we now have a clearer picture. The landlord referred to had converted the house and, apparently others nearby, into an HMO. What was striking was that the interior looked pretty decent with a quality fire detection system in place, nice decor and no signs of damp or mold. The presenter also interviewed a tenant who said that he had lived there for 5 years. He didn't once mention the fact that he was unhappy with his landlord or his living conditions. The fact that his rent was paid by benefits may have had an influence on his comments but then who am I to judge? Yes, the landlord appears to be taking good rent from these properties and what a pleasant difference to learn that someone in our profession may, actually, be making a profit! Or have we all lost sight of the fact that, with the eternal hammering of landlords in the PRS, we came into the business to make something for ourselves and our families. Well done that man! You've just sown the seeds for a change in layout for my single-let properties. Now, where did I put that Section 21.......?

Gromit

18:31 PM, 1st April 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by philip allen at 01/04/2023 - 17:43You have no basis upon which you label me as a rogue Landlord, you have idea how I treat my tenants. I look forward to receiving your apology.
The program did show black mould in a room that the reporters had access to, and the room itself was very cramped. Housing 6 people in small terraced house smacks of overcrowding to me
The Landlord was unwilling to speak with the reporters to give his side of things (I'm ignoring him being harassed in the street which typical of the MSM which I think is unprofessional).
Rogue Landlords give ALL Landlord a bad name, and are the cause of much of the anti-Landlord legislation that has been introduced in recent times? I've yet to come across a single decent Landlord who doesn't want the rogues driven out of the PRS.

Crouchender

18:59 PM, 1st April 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Gromit at 01/04/2023 - 18:31
The LL was clearly a HMO LL as he did have a notice board in the hallway and probably the license required. HOWEVER Lewisham took the HMO licence fee but have probably not inspected. Also the room size for single room is for single occupancy is 6.52 sqm and the LL would have been aware of that. If anyone puts a mattress right next to an external wall without a gap will expect damp/mould.

If you do google his name you will find some very interesting information about him and make your own judgement as to if he is a role model LL.

Don't forget Lewisham has a lot to answer for themselves as they are not sitting pretty themselves but happy to roll out selective licencing to catch/penalise the average LL out with minor HHRS issues to generate income.

Gromit

19:42 PM, 1st April 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Crouchender at 01/04/2023 - 18:59
6 bed HMO requires a mandatory licence a requirement of which is a comprehensive fire alarm system. Minimum rooms sizes are more recent requirement. I've no idea if this property is compliant or not.
Small room sizes force compromises on the positioning of furniture, which in this case resulting in the bed against an outside wall. I couldn't see any easy alternatives but then we couldn't seethe full room plan. Poor air circulation, around a cold wall will cause condensation and eventually mould if not kept in check, and I suspect the tenants only heats the room minimally and doesn't ventilated it properly. Hearing what the Landlord has to say about this would have reduced speculation about the situation or maybe he has got something to hide.

Crouchender

19:59 PM, 1st April 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Gromit at 01/04/2023 - 19:42
If you look at the Lewisham database for HMOs. There are 4 HMO licences although the 'fit and proper person' is someone else for appropriate reasons!!!

Anyway, Lewisham clearly are not doing their HMO inspections but chasing smaller LLs and frightening them to cough up with penalty notices for minor issues like all councils with Sel. Licencing.

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