Labour Conference: New crackdown on rogue landlords announced

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has vowed landlords of rundown homes in the private rented sector could lose their properties unless they bring them up to scratch.

Speaking at the Labour Party Conference he pledged to restore Britain's ‘housing stock to what it once was’ – saying this would include ‘acting on the private rented stock too’.

He told the conference in Liverpool that landlords of the worst quality homes in the private rented sector would be given warnings to make improvements, explaining that, should they fail to take action the Government will ease the way for councils to acquire them, warning ‘we will legislate if necessary’.

The promise came as part of a wider pledge to give local authorities additional powers to ‘take control’ of empty homes of all tenures, as he criticised ‘absent landlords’ who he accused of picking up rent via the benefits system but refusing to invest in their homes.

Clarity needed

In the wake of the speech on Tuesday we have written to the Government asking for more detail.

Our chief policy officer Chris Norris was at the conference in Liverpool this week. He said that while any move to tackle rogue and criminal landlords is welcome, the Government needs to make a clear distinction between responsible, compliant landlords and the minority who continue to give the sector a bad name. 

He said: "In principle we support the Prime Minister’s pledge to strengthen councils’ powers to take action against rogue landlords. 

"Tenants should not have to put up with poor-quality housing, and responsible landlords should not have their reputation undermined by those who fail to provide decent homes.

“With this in mind it is vital that Government brings responsible landlords along with it. This means avoiding unhelpful rhetoric that risks tarring all landlords with the same brush, and instead drawing a clear distinction between responsible landlords and those who fail to meet their obligations.”

What happens next?

We have now contacted the Government to find out more about how the Prime Minister's plans will work in practice. This includes details such as how warnings will be issued, and how long landlords will be given to make required improvements.

With interim Empty Dwelling Management Orders currently requiring the consent of the property owner, we have also asked whether the Government plans to scrap them - and have asked for a meeting with Ministers to discuss the issue further.

Be sure to keep an eye on our news centre and social media channels for more.

More information

To read Chris's conference diary from his time at the Labour conference in Liverpool, click here. 

Photo credit: @House of Commons