Hackney expand enforcement team and begin crack down

Hackney expand enforcement team and begin crack down

9:32 AM, 21st October 2019, About 5 years ago 1

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Labour dominated Hackney Borough council have issued a warning to unlicensed and criminal landlords that they expanded their enforcement team and given the “go-ahead to begin a crackdown on dangerous conditions and mistreatment of private renters.”

The Council claim that one in five tenants suffer from cold homes, disrepair, or damp and mould.

As a result of extensions to the council’s licensing scheme over 10,000 properties will now require a licence in the borough. The income from this scheme will “help fund a double sized licensing team that will inspect properties, work with landlords to ensure they meet the right standards, and take tough measures against those who don’t comply including penalty charges of up to £30,000 or prosecution which could lead to an unlimited fine, or bans from letting homes completely.”

Cllr Sem Moema, Mayoral Adviser for Private Renting and Housing Affordability, said:

“For too long rogue landlords have been able to get away with exploiting a lack of regulation to profit from letting out homes in unacceptable condition.

“Our property licensing measures are addressing this imbalance, giving protection to thousands of renters who, by paying exorbitant rents just for somewhere to live, are already on the frontline of Hackney’s housing crisis.

“Landlords have long known that these changes are coming, and with plans to inspect every single property affected, those breaking the law can have no excuses when we issue tough penalties for not having the licence they need or bringing their properties up to scratch.”

Hackney has also recently thrown it’s weight behind government plans to ban Section 21.


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Comments

Mick Roberts

14:34 PM, 28th October 2019, About 5 years ago

Do the Good Landlords have to pay?
What does their tenants get for their money if they have had to have a rent increase to pay for this?
Wouldn't a better system be for the bad houses, bad Landlords to have to pay for the Inspectors wages? Isn't that what happens in the courts to a degree? If someone broke the law, they get the court costs if they have the money? We don't all pay that guilty persons fine.

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