Landlords of sub-standard properties could face jail

PRIVATE landlords could face prison sentences for allowing their properties to fall into disrepair under plans to improve rented accommodation.

Property owners who fail to keep homes warm and facilities in a “reasonable” condition potentially face prosecution in a magistrates’ court – where judges can deliver a maximum sixmonth jail term.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) intends to roll out a new minimum standard across the private rented market, similar to that currently in place for local authority housing, in an effort to stamp out poor practice and unsafe homes.

In a consultation published yesterday, ministers revealed plans for a legal duty on landlords to ensure their properties meet the new standard and are in a “reasonable state of repair”. Those who breach the new rules would face a civil penalty or prosecution in a magistrates’ court and would be banned from operating in the rental market.

Currently, landlords who do not meet minimum standards face either a civil penalty of £30,000 or can be handed an unlimited fine by a court and banned from ever leasing property again. The Decent Homes Standard is currently not legally binding in the private rental sector, although there are strict rules around gas and electrical safety, which, if breached, can put a landlord in prison.

It is part of the biggest overhaul to the private rented sector in a generation as the Government seeks to crackdown on sub-par rentals.

The DLUHC said: “... some landlords are not proactive in ensuring their property meets requirements and wait for an inspection to be told what improvements are needed.”

The new rules could prove costly for landlords just as they are also forced into £10,000 eco-upgrades to meet the Government’s Energy Performance Certificate targets. Experts have warned more will sell up adding to the rental sector’s severe shortage of homes that has pushed up rents.