Landlords face fines of up to £30,000 and may be banned from letting properties under new housing laws proposed by the Government.
The minister for housing Sajid Javid said the new legislation would help ensure rented homes are safe and give tenants the right to take legal action when landlords fail in their duties.
The Private Member’s Bill on Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation and Liability of Housing Standards) was introduced to Parliament in July last year.
Under the new rules, landlords working in both the social and private sector must “ensure that their property is fit for human habitation at the beginning of the tenancy and throughout”. Where the landlord fails to do so, “the tenant has the right to take legal action in the courts for breach of contract on the grounds that the property is unfit for human habitation”.
Housing Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Everyone deserves a decent and safe place to live. Councils already have wide-ranging powers to crack down on the minority of landlords who rent out unsafe and substandard accommodation.
“However, public safety is paramount and I am determined to do everything possible to protect tenants. That is why Government will support new legislation that requires all landlords to ensure properties are safe and give tenants the right to take legal action if landlords fail in their duties.”
The Bill, supported by the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) and National Landlords Association (NLA), is believed not to introduce any new standards but rather increase enforcement and penalties on those already active.
Richard Lambert, chief executive of the NLA, said: “As the Bill progresses through Parliament the NLA will seek to ensure that proper protections remain in place so that landlords are not faced with vexatious claims, nor face punishment for conditions that result from the tenant’s actions.”
