The government says it’s taking action in favour of some 400,000 households receiving housing support “to be better protected from rogue landlords”.
After a trial involving a Labour controlled council, some 41 local authorities across England will now be able to recover up to 24 months of rent from private landlords through an extension of the Rent Repayment Order regime – double the previous limit.
This is as a result of the Renters Right Act.
Rent Repayment Orders are typically slapped on landlords who operate properties without the required licence, ignore improvement notices, or leave their houses in poor conditions.
The scheme gives councils streamlined access to Universal Credit data which is required for completing Rent Repayment Order applications.
One of the trial areas – Camden, North London – is using the data sharing to recover nearly £100,000 in housing support and make a fraud referral.
As a result of the trial the scheme – created by the Department for Work and Pensions and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government – is now being expanded.
The 38 further areas in the expanded scheme include:
- London: Barnet, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham (LBHF), Waltham Forest, Havering, Lewisham, Tower Hamlets, Enfield.
- North West: Wigan, Sefton.
- Yorkshire & The Humber: Leeds, Rotherham, North Lincolnshire, Calderdale.
- East Midlands: Gedling, Nottingham City, Erewash.
- North East: County Durham, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Gateshead, Northumberland, Darlington.
- South West: Plymouth, Gloucester, Bristol.
- South East: Horsham, Portsmouth, Oxford City.
- East of England: King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, Colchester, Dacorum, Peterborough, East Suffolk.
- West Midlands: Shropshire, Telford, Bromsgrove and Redditch, Coventry.
Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms says: “No one should live in unsafe or unsuitable housing. We are giving local authorities the tools they need to deter bad housing practice, and ensuring better value for money by upholding safe standards.”
