High profile MP Caroline Lucas has told a newspaper that the government turns a blind eye to bad landlords.
“This government, like previous Tory governments, treats renters as second-class citizens and turns a blind eye when private landlords rip-off tenants or leaves them in unsafe homes” Lucas has told her local Brighton Argus newspaper.
The country’s sole Green Party MP continues: “There are plenty of good private landlords but those that aren’t get away with letting homes that are barely fit for purpose, putting people’s health and safety at risk.
“Renters lost what protection they had against losing their home when the moratorium on evictions was lifted in early summer, and local housing allowance rates, which determine housing benefit, were frozen in April leaving renters with less financial help at a time when rents across the country are soaring and incomes have been hit by the pandemic.
“The unfair treatment of renters needs to be put right. Private renters need to be properly protected against rogue landlords and unaffordable rents and Local Housing Allowance should be increased so it properly reflects local rents.”
Lucas was commenting on the findings of a National Audit Office report at the weekend, which said privately rented properties were less likely to comply with safety requirements than other types of housing, and were more likely to be classified as non-decent. The report notes that there will be a government White Paper on rental reform next year.
A key element of the report reads: “To support this process, the NAO recommends that the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Commnunities defines an overall vision and strategy for the regulation of private renting. It should review whether current dispute resolutions arrangements for private renters are appropriate and accessible for all tenants, and improve its understanding of the experiences among private renters to inform how support is targeted at those most in need.”
Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, says: “The proportion of private renters living in properties that are unsafe or fail the standards for a decent home is concerning. The government relies on these tenants being able to enforce their own rights, but they face significant barriers to doing so.
“The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities should improve the quality of its data and insight into the private rented sector, so that it can oversee the regulation of the sector more effectively. It should develop a clear strategy to meet its aim of providing a better deal for renters.”
