Council warns landlords ‘we will enforce’, as it seizes property from rogue landlord

By Harrison Galliven, Local Democracy Reporter 

A council has seized properties from a rogue landlord after months of complaints of disrepair and poor treatment. 

Merton decided to take action against the rogue landlord, as it failed to provide adequate service to residents in its 18 private properties for over a year. 

The council has now employed agents to manage the properties on behalf of the local authority for the next 12 months. 

Despite being granted the powers to seize privately rented properties via the Housing Act in 2004, this is the first time Merton has sought to use them. 

But, according to Councillor Andrew Judge, Merton council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Sustainable Development, this is all set to change.

Cllr Judge said: “The legislation has been in place for 20 years, there’s been very little use by local authorities. We’re going to use them.”

The council believes it has the evidence to back up its unprecedented decision. The landlord had been complained about for some time by the tenants. 

Their complaints, which largely related to allegedly poor repair services, were made to the council who in turn built up a case against the landlord. 

Officers then issued several notices to the homeowner, who, it’s claimed, ignored the orders for months.

This move was also made possible by the council’s own introduction of its ‘Selective Licensing Scheme,’ introduced last year. This means that all privately rented homes in Figges Marsh, Graveney, Longthornton and Pollards Hill wards must now be licensed under the scheme.

This empowers the council to tackle poor property conditions and antisocial behaviour in these areas, and it follows consultation with residents. The properties in question were all located within the Graveney ward.

Cllr Judge said: “The landlord was under an obligation to license the properties, the council sent out notices to them and they have not notices to them and they did not license the properties.

“In our view, they could not be licensed due to the circumstances, so in order to protect the interests of the residents we took out this order.”

He said that tenants should not be concerned by the change in management, resulting from this temporary takeover. Rents will now be paid to the council to cover repairs.

Any money left over after repairs have been paid for will be returned to the landlord. They are still responsible for the mortgage on the property. 

Cllr Judge said: “We’re in a housing crisis in London, the private rented sector is increasingly unaffordable for tenants.

“I have spent many months as the council’s tenants champion and what I have found is that there are some good landlords, but there are also awful landlords.

“Increasingly, many tenants live in an exploited position.

“The message we’re sending to landlords is to make sure you can license your property and you do licence them where you are in a selective licensing area. If you don’t do that the council will enforce against you as an inadequate landlord.”

Pictured top: Eastfields Estate in Mitcham (Picture : Facundo Arrizabalaga)