Brighton and Hove council crackdown on landlords

Landlords in Brighton and Hove face a £500 fine if they fail to carry out work to improve their properties.

Brighton and Hove council will issue ‘improvement notices’ to any landlord in the area whose property does not meet the required standards.

The council say the measure is being taken as part of their work to improve privately rented homes in the city. If the landlord does not comply with the notice, the council will consider prosecution or a financial penalty.

There are a lot of responsible landlords

The council do admit that many landlords in Brighton do run their properties responsibly but claims the standard of PRS properties across the city is not consistent.

Councillor Gill Williams, chair of the housing and new homes committee, said: “We are committed to tackling problems in the city’s private rented homes and taking a stronger approach to landlords who don’t look after their properties or respect their tenants’ rights to enjoy their home.

“We know there are a lot of responsible landlords, but we also hear time and again from residents about other landlords who fail to maintain their properties.”

She added: “Our private sector housing team works with landlords to bring about improvements in rental accommodation.

“Under the Deregulation Act 2015, improvement notices can protect tenants from revenge evictions when they’ve complained about the condition of a property. This is an important focus of our work to make sure private tenants are protected.

“We are introducing charges to cover the costs incurred by the council of enforcing improvements in this way.”

Introducing selective licensing schemes

Brighton and Hove council are also consulting on introducing two selective licensing schemes across the city.

The council claim these schemes will help drive improvement in the city’s private rented homes such as helping to tackle poor management standards and poor property conditions.

The consultation is open till the 3^rd of January 2024 and landlords and tenants in the area are encouraged to have their say