Rogue Landlords List for Consumer Tenants

There are over 4.5 million people that rent from private landlords in England.  A database launched last year by local authorities that lists rogue landlords could soon be made accessible to prospective tenants.

Local authorities add landlords and property agents to the database that have received a banning order, have been convicted of a banning order or received 2 or more civil penalties for an offence within a year.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has launched a consultation into making the database available to prospective tenants.  The deadline for responding to the consultation is 12^th October 2019.

The consultation asks if the database should be available for tenants and if so under what circumstances?  It also goes on to state “Most private rented sector (PRS) landlords and properties are well managed and provide good accommodation, but the small minority of landlords and property agents let the PRS down by letting out inadequate properties.”

Existing Offences:

• Gas safety offences
• Unlawful eviction and harassment
• Failure to comply with an improvement notice
• Use of violence to secure entry to a property
• Permitting the number of occupants in a multiple occupancy (HMO) over the authorised number

New Offences that also could be added to the database:

• Causing or letting properties become overcrowded
• Failure to be registered with a redress scheme
• Failing to comply with a request for documents relating to a property
• Not responding to a notice requiring removal of mice or rats
• Failing the fit and proper person test
• Conviction for offences linked to modern slavery

Comment

Tenants should be made aware of rogue landlords but equally, bad tenants should have a recorded history too.  Why is it that a poor landlord's details may be available to the public but a poor tenant's details are not and the only way to find out is to use a tenant referencing scheme where not all poor tenants names would appear.