Mayor of London calls for action on private landlords

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has called for national action, as research has revealed that private landlords are receiving billions for sub-standard homes.

The money, including more than a billion pounds from housing benefit, is being paid to landlords with dangerous, cold or dilapidated homes.

Research from City Hall has found that landlords across England are collecting £9 billion a year in rent for non-decent privately rented homes, £1.6 billion of which is coming from housing benefit. "Non-decent" refers to homes that pose a risk to residents’ health or life, are in a bad state of repair, are cold or lack modern facilities.

London has the highest rent spend, with landlords receiving £3.5 billion in rent every year, £500 million coming from housing benefit. There are around 180,000 privately rented, non-decent homes in London.

Second on the list is Yorkshire and the Humber, where landlords are receiving nearly £1bn in rent, including around £130m a year in housing benefit, from around 160,000 privately rented, non-decent properties.

Khan, said: “We are building a record number of new affordable homes in London, but we need to see national action to support renters. It is a scandal that some private landlords are profiting from letting sub-standard housing that is unfit for 21st century living.

“Renters would feel more secure raising complaints about the condition of their property if they didn’t face the threat of arbitrary eviction, which is why I have long called for Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions to be abolished. The Government should also give me the power to drive up standards and introduce a rent freeze in London to help people during this cost of living crisis.  

“If we are to continue building a better London for everyone, we need the Government to step up to empower our city’s renters. Ministers must urgently introduce the long-promised Renters Reform legislation, properly fund borough private rented sector enforcement teams, and increase the fines for landlords who break the rules.”

Dan Wilson Craw, acting director, Generation Rent, said: “It is an outrage that not only can private landlords provide worse accommodation than social landlords, but they get paid more for it. Increasing reliance on the private sector to provide housing has resulted in a higher bill for the public purse with nothing to show for it but poorer living standards. The government has an opportunity with the upcoming Renters Reform Bill to give private renters higher expectations of their landlord, and introduce much tougher penalties for landlords who fall short of the Decent Homes Standard.”

Image by Tobias Heine from Pixabay