Councils urged to crackdown on rogue landlords
Labour's shadow housing minister has urged councils to clampdown on rogue landlords who he says are leaving thousands of tenants living in squalid conditions.
John Healey said the West Midlands was one of the worst in the country in terms of the poor quality of its private rented homes, with around one in four properties not fit for people to live in.
Speaking during a visit to Walsall, he warned that tenants health was being put at risk by faulty electrical wiring, chronic damp and vermin infestations.
But Mr Healey praised the borough council for its efforts to force unscrupulous landlords to improve conditions in their properties.
"It is a major problem everywhere, but the West Midlands has a bigger problem than most other places when it comes to private rented homes that are not up to scratch," he said.
"There are too many tenants who just can't get their landlords to do what they should. In fact, one in four private rented homes don't even qualify as being fit for human habitation.
"I'm talking about properties with faulty electrical wiring that can cause a fire, condensation or damp, they've got vermin infestations. All of these things can be hazardous to health and to life.
"Labour is leading legislation that we have now got the Government to back, to give tenants the legal right to take their landlord to court if they don't make necessary improvements.
"But in the meantime, people need a council like Walsall to step in and lean on landlords that aren't doing the job."
During his visit he met with Walsall Council leader Sean Coughlan to discuss new plans for a licensing scheme for private landlords in the town.
Mr Healey added: "All credit to the council for putting this in place. It shouldn't be needed, but it is, and if that is what it takes to get some private landlords to pull their fingers out then it must be a good thing.
"Without a clampdown on the worst landlords, people are at the mercy of living in conditions that no one should have to put up with."
Walsall's team of housing standards officers give advice to tenants and landlords to help them meet legal requirements, inspect properties, ensure safety regulations are being met – particularly in homes of multiple occupation (HMOs), and carry out necessary enforcement action.
They also have powers to seek prosecutions through the courts or issue civil penalty notices for landlords and agents that don't comply.
Mr Healey also joined Walsall Council's health chief, Councillor Ian Robertson, on the campaign trail around his Blakenall ward.
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