Providing safe and secure homes

The government is announcing a £2 million funding boost for councils so they can tackle rogue landlords and ensure that everyone lives in a decent home that is safe and secure.

 

Key facts:

 

·         Whilst the majority of landlords provide decent homes for their tenants, a small minority continue to break the law and offer inadequate or unsafe housing – including to young families and others who are vulnerable to exploitation.

 

·         Local authorities already have strong powers to require landlords to make necessary improvements to a property, but this funding will enable councils to go further, and test new ways to step up enforcement action against irresponsible landlords who make tenants’ lives a misery.

 

·         The announcement builds on our action to drive up standards in the private rented sector - ensuring millions of hard-working tenants get the homes they deserve and creating a housing market that works for everyone.

 

Why this matters: Everyone deserves to live in a home that is safe and secure, and it is vital we crack down on the small minority of landlords who are not giving their tenants this security. This funding will strengthen councils’ powers to tackle rogue landlords and improve homes, making the housing market fairer for everyone.

Comments

Jim said…
Why do people "deserve" to live in a house that's safe and secure?

why does this need government intervention?

For goodness sake, if you rent a place and its not safe and secure, you can a) make it safe and secure
or if you dont like a)
b) rent somewhere else that is.

It's not rocket science.
11:05 am
Chris Whiteside said…
Don't get your position on this, Jim.

When you buy something there is an implicit contract that you will pay the agreed price and the supplier will provide the agreed good, service or benefit which will be fit for purpose.

If you buy a meal in a restaurant you have a reasonable expectation that it won't have cyanide or arsenic in it.

If you buy a car you have a reasonable expectation that the brakes won't fail the instant you drive it out of the dealership

If you rent a house you have a reasonable expectation that it will meet standards for safety - and the landlord has certain legal responsibilities to make sure it does.

Most landlords do comply with those legal requirements but it is not a bad thing for the government to enforce the law - just as councils enforce laws designed to improve food safety and DVLA enforces laws designed to ensure car safety.
7:55 pm
Jim said…
When you buy something you are careful what you are buying. If you happen to come across a new power drill for £2 then common sense should tell you to at least check it over, or a used car for £50, it tells you its not exactly going to be the most luxurious model.

My position is quite clear. People should take more responsibility and not need to rely on government action. It really is simple, if the house you are renting is not up to standard, simply rent somewhere else that is. The landlord of the first place will then get the message its in his best interests to offer a better place or a lower price.

4:00 pm
Chris Whiteside said…
Politicians do not come much more pro free market than the late Sir Rhodes Boyson.

I recall him commenting on a very similar argument, in terms of whether there was a role for government in making sure that a particular service was safe, or whether people should find out for themselves.

Noting that unsafe suppliers would probably be driven out of business when people noticed the body count, he commented

"Now, that would work - but it's rather unfair on the corpses."
1:08 am
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