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15:12 PM, 19th April 2023, About A year ago 34
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The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Generation Rent have smeared private landlords in a demand for an immediate Government crackdown on those who provide homes for tenants on housing benefit.
Mr Khan says it is ‘a scandal’ that billions of pounds is being paid in rent to private landlords who he alleges are letting cold, dangerous or dilapidated properties across England.
Mr Khan says that more than a billion pounds is being used from housing benefit to ‘line the pockets of private landlords’.
And he is calling once again for the power to freeze rents in the capital to help prevent bad landlords who, he claims, are profiteering from letting poor quality homes.
Generation Rent is also calling for action, and it says that ‘private landlords provide worse accommodation than social landlords’.
Mr Khan said: “It is a scandal that some private landlords are profiting from letting sub-standard housing that is unfit for 21st century living.
“Renters would feel more secure raising complaints about the condition of their property if they didn’t face the threat of arbitrary eviction, which is why I have long called for Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions to be abolished.
“The Government should also give me the power to drive up standards and introduce a rent freeze in London to help people during this cost-of-living crisis.”
Dan Wilson Craw, the acting director of Generation Rent, said: “It is an outrage that not only can private landlords provide worse accommodation than social landlords, but they get paid more for it.
“Increasing reliance on the private sector to provide housing has resulted in a higher bill for the public purse with nothing to show for it but poorer living standards.
“The government has an opportunity with the upcoming Renters’ Reform Bill to give private renters higher expectations of their landlord and introduce much tougher penalties for landlords who fall short of the Decent Homes Standard.”
On Twitter, Mr Khan tweeted: “Londoners are being priced out of their city. That simply isn’t right. How much longer will the Govt ignore my calls to fix this? Give me the power to freeze London rents.”
In response, Ben Beadle, the chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, replied: “FFS. You have all the powers you need to build and create the environment for new homes. Get on and use them. You are *literally* pricing people out of London through ULEZ and adding extra cost at the worse possible time.”
An analysis from City Hall reveals that in England, landlords are being paid £9 billion every year to deliver ‘non-decent’ rented properties, and £1.6 billion of this comes from housing benefit.
According to the government, ‘non-decent’ is the official government designation for a home that poses a risk to the resident’s life or health, is cold, in a bad state of repair or lacks modern facilities.
The research reveals that the highest rent spend is in London where landlords receive £3.5 billion in rent, of which £500 million comes from housing benefit for 180,000 private ‘non-decent’ rented homes.
The next worst region is Yorkshire and the Humber where landlords are picking up nearly £1 billion in rent, of which £130,000,000 is housing benefit for 160,000 privately rented, ‘non-decent’ homes.
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Alexandra
8:43 AM, 20th April 2023, About A year ago
You couldn't make it up. Sadiq Khan and Gen Rant complaining about nasty mean Landlords taking DSS payments. But we are also castigated if we refuse to rent to DSS tenants Which way do they want it exactly.
I would also like to know exactly where they are getting their data from regarding the number of non-decent homes and exactly how much money is channelled into them . The whole thing has a flavour of the "Diane Abbott school of facts and truth".
Sadiq Your London councils have the powers to deal with substandard accommodation and prevent revenge evictions but just do not do it! If they identify a sub standard property they can close it down and move the tenant elsewhere. Oh that's right - too few houses available to move a tenant to. Why would that be? nothing to do with the constant PRS bashing causing Landlords to flee the market? And if Londoners are priced out of the city - have a look at S24 and the cost of licencing?
Reluctant Landlord
9:32 AM, 20th April 2023, About A year ago
its election time. All about stirring up the poop and walking away.
Karma will come knocking at his door soon...those people he is trying to apparently 'protect', will see though his lies as it's directly impacting their pocket. ULEZ is just one of his wonderful ideas...
As LHA/HB is already CAPPED and the government are paying the rent bill then the government are hardly likely to suddenly about turn and stop paying this towards private rents are they? Where is all this wonderful exemplary social housing waiting for occupation?
The reality is there would be no PRS (good bad or indifferent!) if there were more social housing - so Khan get cracking on that as your priority as without this, the people you proport to stand up for are ALL going to be up the creek without a paddle!
Recardo
9:45 AM, 20th April 2023, About A year ago
Reply to the comment left by DSR at 20/04/2023 - 09:32
So are they saying all the money they charge LL for licence fees are a wast of time. If they know these LL's why don't they pay them a visit.
I'm avoiding the boot, BS, and neverending regs by selling. My last of six will be sold this year.
Ofer Moses
10:05 AM, 20th April 2023, About A year ago
Reply to the comment left by Alexandra at 20/04/2023 - 08:43
Spot on Alexandra
Reluctant Landlord
10:11 AM, 20th April 2023, About A year ago
Reply to the comment left by Recardo at 20/04/2023 - 09:45
wise move!
Phil Harris
10:35 AM, 20th April 2023, About A year ago
Perhaps he can explain why I paid £1500 for a 3 bed selective license to Lambeth council, and didn’t even have a single visit from the council to check if my property was correctly described in my application or not. Hopefully they are putting that £1500 to use elsewhere to crack down on rouge landlords. Or maybe they could use it to pay it to Social Benefit housing budgets?
Either way, rent freezes have proven time and time again to not be effective over a medium term (cite Scotland and Berlin).
Martin Roberts
10:36 AM, 20th April 2023, About A year ago
Are Tesco 'profiteering’ from DSS money by selling food to claimants?
Judith Wordsworth
10:38 AM, 20th April 2023, About A year ago
Tent cities here we come!
David Judd
10:43 AM, 20th April 2023, About A year ago
Khan and Generation Rent are both fools. They are not tackling the problem, only trying to put sticking plasters over the issue. Khan should concentrate on house building and not landlords who provide a service. Generation rent should stop lumping bad landlords with good landlord, (which most are) and tackle the problem which is there is not enough housing stock, not that rents have risen. They are both fools
Alexandra
10:44 AM, 20th April 2023, About A year ago
Reply to the comment left by Phil Harris at 20/04/2023 - 10:35
As Assar Lindbeck (famous Swedish economist) said " In many cases rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city — except for bombing........- I think this is taught in first year of economics at University - perhaps Mr K should go back to school