A dedicated team of Sheffield City Council officers is on the trail of
rogue landlords who house tenants in properties for residential and student
housing Sheffield, which are unsafe or in poor repair, or abuse their tenants’
legal rights.
An increase in the number of calls to the Council’s Private Housing
Standards Team reflects the growth of the private rented sector in the city.
Private rented housing made up about 12 per cent of the city’s housing stock in
2007*, and the results of the 2011 Census are expected to show this has grown
to around 15 per cent when figures are released later this year. These figures
combine both residential properties and student houses in Sheffield.
In a recent prosecution at Sheffield Magistrates Court, a landlord was
given a suspended 28-day jail sentence for unlawfully locking a tenant out of
his student flats Sheffield, made to adhere to a curfew, and fined for failing
to get a licence for multiple occupancy and failing to comply with fire
regulations. A further ten prosecutions are in the pipeline.
A representative of Sheffield City Council’s Cabinet Member for Homes
and Regeneration, said: “Private landlords have always played an important role
in Sheffield providing both residential and student accommodation in Sheffield,
and there is no doubt that the majority of them are providing an excellent
service for tenants. We are always willing to advise and work with landlords
who may need some help with managing their properties and our qualified
inspectors are there to provide technical advice.
“But where the good name of the majority is being tarnished by a
minority who do not take a responsible attitude towards their tenants’ welfare,
safety and privacy with the legal and moral responsibility that goes hand in
hand with their position, we will resort to taking enforcement action.”
Peter Turkington is a private landlord whose company, PC Properties,
manages around 500 tenants, mostly for student accommodation Sheffield. PC
Properties are a founding member of the Sheffield Student Landlord Association
(SSLA) and have worked closely with Sheffield City Council to improve the
standard of student housing in Sheffield.
He said: “As a result of the introduction of the Housing Act 2004, the
SSLA began working closely with Sheffield City Council, Private Sector Housing,
to assist in the implementation and simplification of the new legislation
concerning houses in multiple occupation, particularly in relation to Sheffield
student houses. This new legislation has in the long run, clearly
benefited both tenant and landlord, and the improved standards have without
doubt contributed towards Sheffield being recently voted as providing the
best standard of student accommodation in the country. I feel it important to
state that this could not have been achieved without the good working
relationship which has developed in recent years between the SSLA and Sheffield
City Council, and which importantly has been to the benefit of student
properties Sheffield. Much of that credit must be attributed to the head
of private sector housing, and the dedicated team.
More recently, our focus has been centred on working with Sheffield
City Council to address some of the issues associated with students properties
Sheffield which are located in residential areas, ie. anti-social behaviour,
noise pollution , ’to let’ signs, litter etc.
Despite the introduction of improved regulation, there are inevitably a
very small minority of so called landlords who refuse to comply with required
standards, and who purposely evade the need to licence their properties,
and in doing so harm what is a very high standard of student accommodation
Sheffield.
As part of our continued and evolving partnership with Sheffield City
Council, the SSLA are fully committed to assist wherever possible, to identify
any individual or organisation, who blatantly disregard their obligations towards
the welfare, health and safety of their tenants.
The private sector has had to endure for far too long the presence of a
minority of stereotypical, unscrupulous landlords who continue to compromise
the integrity of the responsible landlord, and who take advantage of the high
demand for student housing Sheffield. We therefore very much welcome and fully
support this latest initiative undertaken by Sheffield City
Council”.
The work done by the Council team includes inspecting and regulating
private rented housing. They are also responsible for regulating studentaccommodation in Sheffield, known as HMOs (Houses In Multiple Occupation), some
of which may need a licence. Under the law all rented houses of three or more
storeys, and with at least five occupants, needs to be licensed by the Council.
This means they have to be inspected to make sure they comply with standards
such as fire regulations, as their occupants can be at greater risk.
The team also intervenes in cases where tenants have been unlawfully
threatened with eviction, and provides advice and information for private
tenants and landlords.
Beyond the private rented sector, the Private Housing Standards Team will
also carry out legal notice enforcement action on empty properties which have
become a nuisance or a danger, or are having a negative impact on the
neighbourhood.
No comments:
Post a Comment