2020
Council gains funding to crackdown on rogue landlords in Gedling
Date Posted: 9:58 AM on Tue, 14 January 2020Council gains funding to crackdown on rogue landlords in Gedling
£40,000 grant will be used to launch an enforcement project targeting rogue landlords.
Gedling Borough Council is to take further steps to improve the living standards of residents by targeting criminal landlords and letting agents. The council will use £40,000 funding provided by central government to create two posts whose role will be to target rogue landlords and take appropriate enforcement action. The team will also work closely with Nottinghamshire Police on joint operations to address modern slavery, serious organised crime and child sexual exploitation.
The majority of landlords provide decent homes for their tenants, but a small minority persist in breaking the law, making tenants’ lives a misery by offering inadequate or unsafe housing. The new funding will be used to take enforcement action against these landlords, and advise tenants of their housing rights.
In 2018, the council launched its Selective Licencing Scheme in Netherfield. Selective Licencing can be applied in areas where there is deprivation, high levels of anti-social behaviour, high levels of crime, high levels of migration and poor housing conditions. The licencing gives the council’s Environmental Health team powers to do more when landlords are not taking steps to deal with issues relating to property standards. The funding will also be used to target landlords operating without licences.
One of the council’s key priorities is to promote healthy lifestyles in the borough. The Selective Licencing scheme aims to improve residents’ health and wellbeing and reduce inequalities in living standards.
Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor John Clarke said: “We’re very pleased to have been successful with a bid for extra funding to target rogue landlords in the borough. Most landlords are law abiding business operators but, unfortunately, there’s a small number who are not. We will be working with Nottinghamshire Police to target these landlords and make sure that residents are aware of their rights. Our roll out of the Selective Licencing scheme in Netherfield has been very successful in improving the living standards for tenants and exposing landlords who are cutting corners.”