London Mayor Sadiq Khan has praised tenants in the capital for using a register that names and shames rogue landlords - and he wants the government to use it as a model for the whole UK.
Khan describes his Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker as “a unique database that ‘names and shames’ landlords and lettings agents who have been successfully prosecuted or have faced civil enforcement action for housing offences” and says it’s now been used more than 388,000 times.
Meanwhile his Property Licence Checker, launched in November 2020 to allow Londoners to find out if their rental property is properly licenced, has been accessed more than 125,000 times.
Ands on top of that over 6,000 Londoners have now used the Mayor’s Report a Rogue tool, launched in autumn 2017, to report concerns or problems with a rental property or landlord directly to enforcement teams in the relevant borough council.
Khan insists that these usage figures show how concerned Londoners are about the condition of the properties they are renting and the credentials of the people they are renting from.
He now wants a National Rogue Landlord Database and he’s calling for the amount that tenants can claim back if their home isn’t up to scratch doubled - to two years' worth of rent - for the worst properties, which pose a risk of death or serious injury.
In a statement he reiterates his belief that renters would feel more secure raising complaints about the condition of their property if they didn’t face “the threat of arbitrary eviction, which is why the Mayor has long called for Section 21.”
Khan himself comments: “I’m determined to continue standing up for London’s renters by cracking down on rogue landlords. London’s 2.6m private renters deserve a decent home at an affordable price, let from a fair and honest landlord. The fact that my online tools to root out unscrupulous behaviour of landlords have been used hundreds of thousands of times is a sad indictment of the state of the London rental sector.
“However, I am pleased to see tenants using these tools to help them avoid dodgy landlords and to stand up for themselves when they are being mistreated or misled.
“If we are to continue building a better London for everyone, it’s essential that we continue to stand up for and empower renters. We’re doing everything we can in London, but we also need the Government to step up. This must include creating the long-promised National Rogue Landlord database, properly funding borough enforcement teams and increasing the fines for landlords who break the rules.”
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Oh go on then. I'll say it....
I'm looking forward to the rogue tenant database.....
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Just more talk to get legislation in for every council in the Uk to allow charges to be made ……. It’s all about the money 💰 and we know it.
There was a national rouge tenant database set up by a landlord who had been attacked with an axe by a tenant. It worked quite well and I was one of the few who used it. Unfortunately it fell by the wayside because as usual it didn not get enough support from landlords.
Yes we had one, but it fell foul of data protection, apparently tenants could sue.
Our Government - local or national - need to act (and be seen to be acting) equitably between people who rent accommodation and people who provide that accommodation. All data-bases set up should be under the auspices of our Government's authority and deal jointly and reciprocally with both rogue landlords and rogue tenants. As private individuals or companies we landlords should not be placed in the position of setting up ad-hoc websites. Landlord organisations (including my own, the NRLA) have offered - in my view - insipid, weak and/or ineffectual leadership over this important issue (and others).
And with one sweeping statement, we are all tarred. No mention of social housing and the housing associations that time and time again are exposed by the media, not forgetting the little boy who sadly died, due partly to the state of the property he was living in.
Nick
Not sure you can say "tarred" any more?
Oh dear,! I've been scolded so often by my kids for being non PC that it seems to be getting to me!
Can we also have a rogue London Mayor database to name and shame underperforming London Mayors?
I have a name for the list……
I have no problem with a data base but who's going to police it ?
And a rogue mp database? May as well list every one of them on day one.
Lol, def do this - apparently they can now claim X-mas decorations?! Who allowed this..?!
A Rogues tool is probably a good name for it.
Great idea..... and he should put his name top of the list for Grenfell and other London social housing debacles and disasters.
To balance things out, a rogue tenants database would be a great idea too but councils are advising rogue tenants to sue if Landlords name and shame THEM!
I guess if someone has been found guilty in court (whether landlord or tenant) then that's public information and can be published. However that would only ever be the tip of the iceberg. We'd all like to be warned about tenants who don't pay rent and damage property etc but often it doesn't go to court because the landlord doesn't want to waste more time and money on chasing them.
Great idea let’s get it started:
Haringey Council
Westminster Council
Brent Council………
I think “Sadiq Khan” might live to regret the idea when he sees the disproportionate amount of exotic sounding names on the list.
You can't say that Robert, but you are certainly spot on correct there
We certainly couldn't call it a black list!
Coffee color maybe
Assuming that so called 'rogue landlords' have a flagrant disregard for rules and regulations (let alone basic concern for the welfare of others).
As a piece of research it would certainly be interesting to see how that group compared with landlords as a whole on all demographic factors.
We are all getting tar’d will same brush they must have forgot the feathers or have we all got them in our cap.
I will Name and Shame a Mayor, Mr Sadiq Khan now that’s it I done it..
This the guy who promotes a green agenda and ulez then he’s driven everywhere in a gas guzzling range rover then just before the inevitable photo opportunity gets a bike out of the boot and rides the last few metres
Exactly Range Rovers and private jets, never heard of lead by example , hypocrites
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