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TODAY'S OTHER NEWS

Tenants set to be granted new powers to hold rogue landlords to account

Tenants are on the verge of being handed fresh powers to take action against rogue landlords thanks to the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill, which will complete its passage through Parliament tomorrow.

The Private Members’ Bill, which will give both private and social tenants in England the power to take their landlords to court if their home is unsafe, will have its third and final reading in the House of  Lords on Wednesday.

The proposed legislation will require all leases to have an implied covenant stating that landlords must ensure their properties are inhabitable at the start of the tenancy and throughout occupation. Tenants would be able to seek legal redress through the courts, without having to first go through their councils, if landlords fail to do this.  

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Under the proposed legislation, negligent landlords would be required to remove hazards or pay compensation to tenants.

The Bill, tabled by Karen Buck MP, will head back to the House of Commons early next year for MPs to consider any amendments added by Peers, before it gets Royal Assent.

According to the MP, about 750,000 homes in the private rented sector and 250,000 in the social rented sector have category one hazards.

The MP for Westminster North previously said: “Living in a cold, damp, or unsafe home is hell. It damages people's physical and mental well-being.

“It erodes the income of the poorest households. It impacts on children's education.

“The most vulnerable tenants are those most at risk of being trapped in sub-standard accommodation and they are often least able to withstand the damage such conditions do.”

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    Don't disagree with targeting rogue landlords but what about helping decent landlords go after rogue tenants just as easily?

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    There is a flip side here, good landlords rent good homes to good tenants, where as rouge landlords rent poor quality homes to rouge tenants, so who will house the rouge tenants? we don't want them at any price. also interesting to see that there are 250,000 sub standard council homes out there.

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    no votes in that?

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    Just what the court system needs it cannot cope with the eviction of rogue tenants under 5 months add this to the mix with everything else going on and i think i might start renting save myself a hell of a lot of money not pauying my landlord with little chance of being kicked out , WORLDS GONE BLOODY MAD

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    Where did the MP get these figures from? I've seen a number of articles where this figure was used. I hope its not that hazard model that sampled a couple of hundred homes in one city and guestimated up from there. I think these articles should at least ask where the research came from.

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    The trouble is that most rogue landlords rent to rogue tenants, who for some reason or another, are unable to rent from a legitimate source.
    They are therefore unlikely to report the said landlord to the authorities without fear of being evicted.
    I knew of a house which was rented to Hungarians and in an appalling state of repair, but they were reluctant to make a fuss in case they were thrown out and unable to get anywhere else.
    The house was overcrowded and necessitated one of them having to sleep in the hallway.

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    I would consider anything once there was proper power to evict non paying tenants quickly. All those section 21 evictions labelled "no fault" are carried out because it is the cheapest, fastest, and often only realistic way of getting back possession. How many landlords want to evict a tenant paying reliably?

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