“Private renting is different everywhere, so it’s really important councils are empowered to drive up standards and tackle the unique challenges in their areas.”
Citizens UK said it had been campaigning to improve conditions for renters since 2015, leading to the implementation of selective licensing schemes in five London boroughs and in Nottingham.
Mathew Bolton, Citizens UK executive director, said: “We’ve seen too many rogue landlords take advantage of people’s need for a home and forcing them and their families to live in unthinkable conditions. The home should be a place of safety and security, but sadly this is not the reality for many renters in our membership and across the country.
“This new development will increase the power of councils to help protect local people from poor living conditions and hold landlords to accountability for maintaining standards. We’ll continue this important work to ensure everyone in the UK has access to fair, safe and more affordable housing.”
Big Issue covered the use of a selective licensing scheme in Merton, south London, earlier this year.
The local authority used powers granted under the Housing Act 2004 to take 18 properties off a rogue landlord who refused to carry out repairs for 12 months.
That interim management order meant rent paid by tenants would be used to fix up the properties while renters were also blocked from being evicted.
Councillor Andrew Judge, Merton’s cabinet member of housing and sustainable development, told Big Issue he had found that the powers to set up a selective licensing scheme are underutilised by councils.
The government devolution changes may open the door for more local authorities to take action to protect renters.
“I think all councils have been reluctant to be innovative in the use of powers. That’s not provable but it’s an impression certainly I’ve had. Also these powers are not easy to discern,” he told the Big Issue.
“But I think they’re quite powerful and I hope that, through our example, it will encourage other councils who face similar issues. I think on a moral and political level, councils need to be doing that as best they can.”
Reacting to Labour’s devolution plans, Judge told Big Issue that they would reduce the “cost and delay” councils face in setting schemes and allow them to “get on with the job of protecting residents from exploitative landlords”.
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