"A rebalancing of the law towards renters and away from landlords, which the government has done in its Renters' Rights Act, was sorely needed. Failures and abuses of power have been ignored for too long. With no-fault evictions outlawed from next May, and tougher oversight from a new ombudsman to follow, life should be about to get better for England's 4.6m households in the private rental sector."
"Troubling analysis by the Guardian shows that two-thirds of councils in England have not prosecuted a single landlord in the past three years, while nearly half didn't issue any fines either. Over the same period, fewer than 2% of complaints led to enforcement of any kind. Just 16 landlords were banned from letting homes a shockingly low number, given the volume of complaints and what has been revealed about the sector by the worst scandals."
"The introduction of a mandatory decent homes standard for private rentals to match that in the socially rented sector is being consulted on, and remains a dismayingly long way off. But from next year, councils will be legally required to report on their enforcement activity. A new landlords' register should be a useful tool, giving local authorities and other interested parties clearer oversight of what is going on in their areas."
Renters' rights have been strengthened through the Renters' Rights Act, including a ban on no-fault (section 21) evictions from next May and the creation of a new ombudsman. Enforcement of landlord standards has been weak: two-thirds of councils did not prosecute any landlord in three years, nearly half issued no fines, fewer than 2% of complaints led to enforcement, and only 16 landlords were banned from letting. A mandatory decent homes standard for private rentals is under consultation. From next year councils must report enforcement activity and a landlords' register will improve oversight, but councils will need additional resources to enforce effectively.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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