Khan calls for tougher penalties for rogue landlords over poor housing conditions

By Joe Talora, Local Democracy Reporter

City Hall is to begin funding a brand-new qualification and training for housing enforcement officers in London to clamp down on rogue landlords and provide more support to vulnerable tenants.

Sadiq Khan announced on Wednesday that the new course, which will be delivered by the University of Middlesex, will provide training in environmental health and the private rented sector in a bid to address the skills shortage among boroughs’ housing enforcement teams.

Once qualified, officers will help to ensure that private rented houses are kept in good condition and will work to mediate disputes between landlords and tenants.

Mr Khan has also once again called on the Government to grant him the power to introduce rent controls in London – which was a key re-election pledge – as well as to introduce tougher fines for rogue landlords.

It comes amid warnings that private rents paid to landlords have seen the biggest annual rise in five years as the cost of living crisis continues to spiral.

Mr Khan said: “Every single Londoner deserves a secure, safe and comfortable home. Nearly a fifth of London’s private rented accommodation doesn’t meet basic standards and it is clear that more needs to be done to support tenants.

“I want to see tougher penalties for rogue operators and this action can only come from the Government.

“Poor housing conditions and exploitative rents have an awful impact on both the physical and mental health of tenants and these actions need to have consequences.

“With the cost-of-living spiralling, Londoners also need the government to give us the power to bring in rent controls which may’s election gave us a clear mandate for.”

There are around 2.4 million renters in London, while around 18 per cent of private rented homes in the capital do not meet the Government’s Decent Homes Standard.

Sadiq Khan has on Wednesday called on the Government to double the amount of rent that tenants can claim back through a Rent Repayment Order (RRO).

A landlord is issued with an RRO when they commit an offence such as failing to comply with an improvement notice or when they harass a tenant.

Currently, a landlord who receives an RRO must pay back a maximum of 12 months’ worth of rent to their tenant, but Mr Khan has called for this to be increased to two years’ rent for the worst offenders.

Dan Wilson Craw, deputy director of renters’ campaign group Generation Rent, welcomed the mayor’s announcement on Wednesday and said that RROs “should be one of the best weapons we have against criminal landlords”.

He said: “Landlords face a large cost for breaking the law, while tenants get what could be a life-changing sum of money.

“Yet few people know about them, in large part because councils don’t have enough trained staff to do the enforcement work that’s needed to uncover wrongdoing.

“The mayor is right to call for these penalties to be strengthened and to use this new qualification to boost councils’ ability to protect tenants.

“He should also lead a campaign for increased, regular and ring-fenced funding for councils to tackle criminal landlords.

“RROs could help raise the quality of private rented homes even further if tenants could also claim them for living in a poorly insulated home.

“Properties with energy efficiency ratings of F or G are illegal to let out but landlords are only subject to a £5000 fine and their tenants get no protection.”

Data from Generation Rent shows that there are around 33,000 private rented homes in London that are being let illegally as they fail to meet minimum energy efficiency standards.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove is expected to announce a series of reforms to the private rented sector in an upcoming Government white paper, including the banning of Section 21 “no fault evictions”.

The white paper is expected in spring 2022.