'Unscrupulous' landlords face action thanks to £435k government cash
"Unscrupulous" landlords and lettings agents will be targeted after councils were handed £435k to take enforcement action.
Black Country and Staffordshire authorities each have a share of the funding to take action and offer advise to tenants.
Among the councils in the West Midlands to benefit from the funding are Wolverhampton, Walsall and Lichfield.
Wolverhampton Council's £183,950 will be used to revamp a Rent with Confidence scheme in partnership with Public Health England supporting both tenants and landlords to drive up standards in the city.
Walsall's £48,495 will be used to identify unregulated dwellings where children and young people are living.
And Lichfield's £5,260 will go towards developing an app and programme for house inspections.
Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick MP, said: “This Government will deliver a better deal for renters.
"It’s completely unacceptable that a minority of unscrupulous landlords continue to break the law and provide homes which fall short of the standards we rightly expect – making lives difficult for hard-working tenants who just want to get on with their lives.
“Everyone deserves to live in a home that is safe and secure and the funding announced today for the West Midlands will strengthen councils’ powers to crack down on poor landlords and drive up standards in the private rented sector for renters across the country.”
Councils already have powers to force landlords to make necessary improvements to a property through use of a range of measures, including civil penalties and banning orders for the worst offenders.
The grants will support a range of projects to enable councils to make the best use of these powers.
This will include trialling innovative ideas, sharing best practice and targeted enforcement where we know landlords shirk their responsibilities.
