Cracking down on irresponsible landlords

Last Wednesday, 27th January 2010, Housing and Planning Minister John Healey announced radical new plans to tackle the growing problem of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), where high concentrations of shared rented homes which were poorly managed can change the balance and nature of local communities.

HMOs attract short-term tenants who are unlikely to lay down roots in the area. Transient communities undermine the economic viability of local businesses. They put pressure on local communities as houses designed for a family of 4 are occupied by as many as 10. Where HMOs are common, they place unwanted strain on local amenities and roads.

From April this year, landlords will need to apply for planning permission to establish a new HMO when a property is altered from a family home to one where three or more tenants are not related to one another but share basic amenities. This amends the current HMO definition of six people.

Local authorities will also be given the power to establish licensing schemes, without having to seek permission from central government. This allows councils to use their local knowledge to target hotspot areas where there are problems with landlords who don not manage or maintain their properties properly.

Detailed work is also underway for a National Landlord’s Register that will further help raise the standards and quality of private rented accommodation. This will give landlords and tenants access to clear advice and support, and will also be the way in which landlords and tenants can be kept informed of basic rights and responsibilities.

John Healey said, “Everyone deserves a decent and safe place to live and these measures aim to improve standards of the private rented sector at a time when more people look to rent as their first option in the housing market.”

In Haringey, HMOs have been a constant menace and David has always campaigned against them.

Over the past few years David has:

• Raised the issue on numerous occasions with the Leader and Chief Executive of Haringey Council
• Raised the matter with the Haringey Borough Police Commander
• Taken the unusual step of referring a particularly bad case of a property conversion, including the issuing of a Certificate of Lawfulness by Haringey Council based on what seems to have been forged evidence, to the Local Government Ombudsman.
• Met with the Director and Cabinet Member for Housing in Haringey, as well as the Assistant Director for Enforcement, with whom David visited a property of concern
• Issued a form that Residents can complete confidentially so that they can report suspected HMOs. (http://www.davidlammy.co.uk/cracking_down_on_tottenhams_unlawful_conversions)
• Organised a public meeting alongside the Ladder Community Safety Partnership and Harringay Online to discuss the matter. (http://www.davidlammy.co.uk/da/94086)

David said, “This legislation will mean it will become a lot easier for the council to tackle irresponsible landlords. The changed definition of a HMO, along with giving local councils the ability to implement licensing schemes without the permission of central government, will seriously improve our ability to curb the growth of HMOs.”