03/01/2018
New measures to improve standards in the private rented sector (E)
Landlords renting properties in England occupied by 5 or more people from 2 or more separate households (‘houses in multiple occupation’) will need to be licensed and anyone found guilty of a wide range of criminal offences will be banned from being a landlord, under the latest measures announced by the government to improve standards in the private rented sector.
The measures take account of feedback from two consultations issued respectively in October and December 2016.
‘Houses in multiple occupation and residential property licensing reforms’ sets out the government response to proposals to extend the mandatory licensing of houses in multiple occupation.
The Dept for Communities & Local Government believes that 160,000 houses would be affected by this measure, which – subject to parliamentary clearance – will allow councils to take further action to deal with unscrupulous landlords who rent sub standard and overcrowded homes.
The government response also covers the following issues featured in the original consultation
- national room sizes
- the fit and proper person test
- refuse disposal facilities
- purpose built student accommodation
In its response to ‘Consultation on proposed ‘banning order offences’ under the Housing and Planning Act 2016′ the government sets out a list of criminal offences that, from April, would result in anyone convicted of them being automatically banned from renting properties.
The offences considered comprised
- relevant housing offences, such as illegally evicting a residential occupier, renting out a property decided by the local authority to be unsafe, failing to carry out works required by local authorities
- immigration offences – ie letting to someone disqualified from renting because of their immigration status
- serious criminal offences – including those of a sexual or violent nature
- other offences sentenced in the Crown Court that were committed against, or in conjunction with, any person who was residing at the property owned by the offender, other than a person associated with the offender
There was strong majority support for the introduction of offences in all 4 categories.
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