London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – A London council has started door-to-door patrols to catch out rogue landlords.
Brent Council’s enforcement authorities were patrolling streets in the borough after finding proof that some tenants may be living in unlicensed properties or houses that have breached planning regulations. Planning, anti-social behaviour and private housing services have been knocking on doors and questioning if there are any serious risks inside the homes, as well as checking if the property has been certified properly.
The first street patrol was carried out six months after borough-wide licensing was submitted for landlords. Under the new rule, every landlord who rents out a property in Brent must have a licence – except for in the Wembley Park area.
What penalties have rogue landlords faced recently?
Last week a rogue landlord in the borough was punished with nearly £50,000 for housing eight people in an overloaded “house of horrors” in Wembley. Eight residents, including two children under the age of 13, were spending £3,500 to live in a home developed for five people which had a rat infestation, leak and damaged toilet. Willesden Magistrates Court has called Sanjay Patel to pay £49,495 for violations of the Housing Act at the two-storey home he operated in Vivian Avenue.
How is Brent Council ensuring compliance among landlords?
Brent Council head Muhammed Butt stated: “We are receiving licensing applications, but we
Understand there are many more applications still to be created. We have intelligence on specific streets with evidence to indicate that tenants might be living in unlicensed possessions, or in properties that violate planning regulations, and those are the areas we are targeting through our street patrols. No rogue landlord will fall through the net in Brent: if you are a landlord in Brent and your property is unlicensed, we will find you and you will face prosecution and hefty fines.”