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‘Government acts to protect tenants’ says Gove in landlord clampdown

Housing Secretary Michael Gove has made an announcement overnight that “the government will always act to protect tenants.”

The claim comes as part of an announcement giving cash to seven areas to clamp down on rogue private landlords. At the same time there is to be a cash squeeze on failing social landlords, as a result of the tragic death of Awaab Ishak.

The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has revealed overnight that £14m is to be given to seven areas with high numbers of poor privately rented homes “to crack down on rogue landlords and test new approaches to driving up standards.” 

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Projects include £2.3m for Greater Manchester – including Rochdale and surrounding councils - to increase the use of fines where a landlord is found to have committed an offence; £678,000 for Leeds to use behavioural science to change culture among landlords, improving knowledge and skills; and £1.14m for Cornwall to create a database of private rented accommodation in the area and record standards to target better enforcement action.

Meanwhile the social landlord at the heart of the Awaab Ishak case - Rochdale Boroughwide Housing - will now not receive its expected £1m funding from the Affordable Homes Programme or receive any new AHP contracts for new homes, until the Regulator of Social Housing has concluded its investigation and it can prove it is a responsible landlord. 

Gove says the government will also continue to monitor housing standards of RBH tenancies closely, working with the Regulator and Ombudsman, to ensure that tenants have appropriate housing.

As part of a wider crackdown on poor standards, Gove adds that he will also block any housing provider that breaches the Regulator’s consumer standards from new AHP funding until they make improvements. Gove will also consider stripping providers of existing AHP funding, unless construction has already started on site.

The move comes after Gove wrote to all councils and housing associations last weekend, saying they must raise the bar dramatically on standards and demanding urgent action where people complain about damp and mould.

Gove says: “RBH failed its tenants so it will not receive a penny of additional taxpayers’ money for new housing until it gets its act together and does right by tenants. Let this be a warning to other housing providers who are ignoring complaints and failing in their obligations to tenants. We will not hesitate to act.

“Everyone deserves the right to live in safe, decent home and this Government will always act to protect tenants.”

Want to comment on this story? If so...if any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals on any basis, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.

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    Rugue Housing Secretary Mr Michael Gove who has driven out thousands of landlords will be on LBC radio shortly.
    Get ringing and texting now he is further attacking landlords.

  • James B

    Absolute nonsense.. they must be struggling for vote winning messages for tenants now if they are putting out this stuff

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    I can't see tenants voting Tory what ever Grove does, in truth most tenants are no different to us they can see clearly what Grove is doing is hurting them

     
  • Elizabeth Campion

    Until tenants start complaining to Gove, you did this, you made me homeless!
    . Gove is digging his own grave political.
    Unfortunately he,ll worm his way out of it.

    Wayne Barber

    He truly is a con-socialist snake..!

     
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    He is on GMB at 8.00am 😬😬 he’s out of control and out to grab the limelight….is the PRS going to be his victim.

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    James, my friend its nothing to do with votes, they have lost to next election and it makes no difference whatsoever in any case. Who ever gets in cannot do anything anyhow they have the Country ruined and the economy Bankrupt. Nevertheless they will already have the legislation in place before they leave and that will stand for years to come.
    I am very surprised you believe in Democracy in the light of what they are doing, its tantamount to confiscation of landlords property.

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    Michael Gove is giving £14’000’000.00 of tax payers money to seven areas to attract and further destroy Private Landlords.

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    All I see is this government ‘placing’ money up the wall left, right and centre. Like a typical Labour government.

    We have enough debt as it is without £14m more going down the toilet .

     
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    I am afraid that most political parties are anti British! Their is just one show trial after another, basically Gove has a communist background and it shows !

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    Edwin Morris- Spot on! 👍
    Time to find a leader and British political party which will put #Britishpeople, #Britishveterans and #GreatBritainFirst.

    Conservatives, Labour, LibDems & Greens are certainly not going to put #GreatBritainFirst.
    SNP leader is a disaster for Scottish people.
    Wonder if Nigel Farage has plans to collaborate with #BritainFirst-the only political party currently supporting homeless #Britishveterans, and trying to stop illegal immigrants, championing fairness for British people despite problems created by Police & reverse racism.
    GE time is not too far-catch 22 for public to decide who to vote 🗳️ for - stay in the Conservatives frying pan or jump into Labour/other fire to completely destroy the future generations of U.K. -a big dilemma for landlords and other professionals alike🤔. Best wishes.

     
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    Michael Gove on LBC now so far the letter’ A’ is very prominent used 40 times continuing….
    AA’ AAA’ AA’ A’ AAA’ A and more etc,

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    It’s a cash scam I’m sure they will fine the money back by fines for light bulbs out and unsafe grass in the garden. The only thing you’ll achieve from me is a guarantee that my family and I will never vote conservative again. Bring on the election. Some democratic process where the third government of this term unelected. Rashy Sanook had a chance to assemble a cabinet of smart balanced individuals but it’s down to the cemetery to dig up the same old burnt out left wingers.

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    I think you have highlighted the biggest problem for the Conservatives; there is no incentive for Conservative voters to vote Conservative anymore. They are no longer the party which encourages investment in this country. People whom I know are liquidating all their assets - property, shares etc.

     
    Wayne Barber

    Exactly this! We voted Con all our lives but absolutely never again - they’re basically socialists in disguise fgs!

     
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    Agree with Adrian and Ellie. The Tories are all lefties now. Why??? I am voting for anyone but Tory now just so they reform themselves.

     
  • Rik Landlord

    You'll never stop damp without heating.
    Maybe the gov should put the attention on utility costs so tenants can heat their homes rather than attacking the home providers.
    Idiots.

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    £14 million that could’ve been invested in actual housing instead of going to punish LLs filling the gap left by chronic mismanagement of our housing sock over decades.

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    Would like to see the full list of 7 areas, not just the 3 mentioned but can't find it anywhere?
    I did have properties in Cornwall but sold them already (they were never airbnb, always family lets). If this is going to be the model for the rest of us in due course, as per white paper, it would be useful to see how it works.

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    Answering my own question. Apparently the other areas in line for a "cash handout" are Derbyshire Dales, Eden, Liverpool and Ryedale.

     
  • George Dawes

    What lovely people , same lot who enforced an untested medical procedure with dangerous side effects on an unwilling populace

    Will never forget that one ...

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    Tragic as the loss of a child is, I can't help feeling this is a knee jerk reaction by Gove. What was the cause of the mold and why didn't the tenants wipe it off! Certainly standards need to improve in the Social Housing sector. But I would like to see more effort by the likes of Shelter, Crisis, Acorn etc etc in education tenants on how their property should be looked after on a daily basis.

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    I had thought exactly that Rob, why didn't the tenants wipe it off, in truth there is a lot more to that tragic story

     
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    Snap…. 1 x bucket of soapy water, 1x mould spray…. A couple of hours…. Done.

     
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    Yes, where is the discussion about the cause?

     
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    Yes John the cause needed to be attended to which could have been leaks, it could have been the tenants failure to heat and ventilate correctly or a combination of both, but at the same time by cleaning the mould and damp on a daily basis that little lad would likely still be alive and well, all to easy to point the blame at the landlord even though we know the social landlords to be the worst offenders when it comes to attending to repairs

     
    Wayne Barber

    Soapy water & white vinegar is a god send. Have one tenant who continuously dries clothes in bedroom (window closed) - swears blind she doesn’t..!

     
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    I’ve been mould with my Nigerian tenants. They just sit on their bottom. They don’t do anything around the house. Just complain to the council and solicitors. Soap, spray and a couple of hours? It’s too much for them!

     
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    He won't win votes this way, he'll lose them, most tenants can see the harm he's doing, and we already know that the Tories will be toast at the next GE, in fact there is little point them even standing for the election that at least would save them the embarrassment, Chloe Smith Norwich North has already announced that she won't stand at the next GE a wise decision by the lady

  • Elizabeth Campion

    No government /party will get rid of excess immigration because want cheap labour .
    They don't want people to have second properties so first time buyers can get a look in.
    That all well and done. But immigrants and poor people may not want or be able to afford houses.
    Leveling up is taking from the middle classes and making us all one class. Meanwhile the rich will look after themselves.

    George Dawes

    So true

    That's the future in a nutshell

     
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    Spot on.

     
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    Yes Elizabeth - Levelling up is actually Levelling down using socialist tactics

     
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    Just wanted to add my agreement Elizabeth. You have hit the nail on the head.

     
    Fery  Lavassani

    Liz darling, as an interpreter I work with the NHS, Universal Credit and job centres. Refugees do not come here for work. At least, I can say most near 90% do not risk their lives crossing the channel to come looking for work. UK is soft touch. I do not want to go through details as it is against the code of practice. But mark my word, as soon as they get here, they either suffer from bad back, bad neck, bad knees or feeling suicidal. In neither of these cases, you are required to look for work. Canada is taking 1.5 million refugees this year. Germany has already taken over a million. Why? Because they need the labour force. Here in the UK, one refugee jokingly told me that he came here "to work as a refugee", but since the pay is no good, he delivers pizza for a take away in the evenings. I give up.

     
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    Gove is a Snake.

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    And an untrustworthy back stabber. I hope his constituents remember this come election time. Honestly who can tick a box for this to look after their interests.

     
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    Hopefully Grove and most of the Tory MPs will be unemployed in a couple of years

     
  • Elizabeth Campion

    Viper

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    Phone in on LBC Radio, giving landlords a really bad name totally unjustified, no one to stand up for us.

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