Wallington and Carshalton MP Tom Brake is calling for a change in the law to give more power and protection to millions of private sector tenants.
He will be proposing a Bill in the House of Commons today to amend the Landlord and Tenant (Reform) Bill.
His proposals, in line with those of Liberal Democrat Mayoral Candidate Caroline Pidgeon, would scrap unfair letting fees for tenants, require all landlords to register and give more resources to Councils to reduce the timescales involved in prosecuting private landlords who don’t maintain their properties to the right standards.
Tom Brake MP said:
‘‘It is unacceptable that in 2016 millions of people still suffer daily from substandard housing and are victims of abusive rogue landlords’ often threatening to cut off utilities, entering homes without permission and failing to return deposits.
“We need an effective and proper framework of regulation and enforcement to make sure that people are not at the mercy of rogue landlords.’’
Findings from a recent survey of local authority enforcement in the private rented sector carried out by Lib Dem London Assembly member Stephen Knight shows the enforcement of standards in the private rented sector by local authorities remains highly variable – with recent cuts to local authority budgets diminishing the resources available to councils to tackle those landlords who provide poor or unsafe living conditions.
He will be proposing a Bill in the House of Commons today to amend the Landlord and Tenant (Reform) Bill.
His proposals, in line with those of Liberal Democrat Mayoral Candidate Caroline Pidgeon, would scrap unfair letting fees for tenants, require all landlords to register and give more resources to Councils to reduce the timescales involved in prosecuting private landlords who don’t maintain their properties to the right standards.
Tom Brake MP said:
‘‘It is unacceptable that in 2016 millions of people still suffer daily from substandard housing and are victims of abusive rogue landlords’ often threatening to cut off utilities, entering homes without permission and failing to return deposits.
“We need an effective and proper framework of regulation and enforcement to make sure that people are not at the mercy of rogue landlords.’’
Findings from a recent survey of local authority enforcement in the private rented sector carried out by Lib Dem London Assembly member Stephen Knight shows the enforcement of standards in the private rented sector by local authorities remains highly variable – with recent cuts to local authority budgets diminishing the resources available to councils to tackle those landlords who provide poor or unsafe living conditions.