Councillors told tenant could die 'because of dodgy landlords ripping them off'

The warning was delivered at a meeting of the borough council’s Housing and Safer Communities Select Committee on March 13.

Private sector rental housing makes up 13.8 percent of the borough’s households and rents are around twice the cost of council housing.

The committee was told that 15 percent of Britain’s privately rented homes are badly maintained and pose the highest category of risk to the occupiers’ health and safety, according to research by the Building Research Establishment.

Councillor Caroline Reid said: “The private sector in Dudley is appalling, some tenants are turning to criminality or sexual exploitation just to pay the rent.

“One landlord was taken to court and had to pay thousands of pounds in fines but is still allowed to continue.”

Councillor Reid went on to describe a run-down house of multiple occupation (HMO) where four people were living in one room, another room was occupied by a sex worker and a third room home to a drug user.

She said: “The landlord has been in the borough for several years, we have reported it and given intelligence but he is still allowed to get away with it.

“I only hope Dudley doesn’t get a death out of this, it only takes one mishap.”

Sian Murphy, Dudley’s private sector housing team leader, explained currently the law can stop an individual being the lead person in private sector rentals but there is nothing to stop an individual making someone else the lead person and still pocketing the money.

In a report to the committee, Ms Murphy said: “The sad reality is that there are often repercussions on tenants who complain to the local authority with tenants commonly facing rent increases or Eviction Notices and there is little we can do to prevent these courses of action when the landlord has done so in line with what the law allows.”

She added that possible repercussions mean vulnerable tenants are sometimes reluctant to speak out and urged councillors to bring problems to her team’s attention.

New legislation is going through Parliament which will toughen local authority powers to tackle rogue landlords and add private rentals to the Decent Homes Standard which currently applies to social housing.

Housing secretary, Michael Gove, said: “Everyone deserves a home that is safe, warm and decent.

“As part of our Long-Term Plan for housing we are improving housing standards across the entire private rented sector, while also ending discrimination against vulnerable people and families who are being unfairly denied access to a home.”

The Renters (Reform) Bill includes powers for councils to require landlords to make properties decent, with fines up to £30,000 or a banning order in the worst cases.

Tenants will also be able to claim up to 24 months rent back through rent repayment orders.

If the Bill becomes law, councils will also be given stronger powers to investigate landlords who rent substandard homes.