Rogue landlord laws force recruitment
New laws prompt more complaints
STRICTER regulation of the private rented housing sector may force the council to take on extra staff as complaints soar.
Two acts in 2015 clamping down on rogue landlords have led to a huge increase in requests for intervention from frustrated tenants.
A temporary enforcement officer is already in post to assist with the demand and new responsibilities.
If budgets permit this post will be extended while a second part-time role focusing on environmental health issues will also be created.
Scrutiny committee members were updated on the situation at their latest meeting and the matter will be decided by the full council in February.
According to the 2011 census - the most recent available - some 10.4% of the population of Hinckley and Bosworth lived in private rental accommodation and this has only gone up over the last five years.
The private sector housing team have seen a 48% increase in service requests in the past year from 156 cases between June 2014 and June 2015 to 297 for the same period ending this year.
An extra 126 cases were completed between June and the beginning of November while 179 complaints remain live, 25 of which are classed as com- plex due to the tenants ‘vulnerability’.
Rules which came into force in October last year have contributed to the rise in demand for action.
One provided tenants with protection from retaliatory eviction if they make a legitimate complaint about the state of the property.
This applies where the council has confirmed a repair needs to be carried out to protect health and safety.
The other required landlords to install working smoke alarms on every floor and carbon monoxide alarms in rooms where there is a solid fuel heating system. Since coming into force this has led to 196 properties receiving intervention and nine properties requiring formal enforcement notice.
A further directive which compels letting agents to publicise a full breakdown of fees and state whether they are a member of a client money protection scheme and name said scheme has also prompted more work.
The council’s private housing sector team are responsible for checking agents are in a scheme and carrying out enforcement if not. Agents are served notice to sign up to a scheme and fined if they don’t. Four agents have already been slapped with formal notices.
Further legislation to control rogue landlords is due to come into force next year and will pose and additional burden.