New cash will include trial scheme to install snooping devices in homes where rogue letting agents and landlords are suspected of managing the property poorly.

The government has announced this morning that 100 councils across England are to share in a £4 million fund to crack down on rogue letting agents and landlords.

This new funding will be used by the ‘hotspot’ councils to take enforcement action against rogue elements within the lettings industry and will include installing ‘snooping’ devices in rented accommodation that councils suspect are being run poorly.

These will monitor heat and damp levels and are being trialled in the London Borough of Greenwich.

But the cash will also be used to finance a wide range of projects including training more enforcement officers, setting up specialist ‘operations units’ and bolstering care services for the most vulnerable tenants.

“This government will deliver a better deal for renters,” says Secretary of State for Housing Robert Jenrick (pictured, above).

“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 will strengthen councils’ powers to crack down on poor landlords and drive up standards in the private rented sector for renters across the country.”

INDUSTRY RESPONSE

The Guild’s in-house Compliance Officer, Paul Offley, says: “We fully support this initiative as it will ensure that rogue landlords and letting agents are punished for breaking the law and it will also ensure that more tenants are treated fairly.

“With the funding providing councils with a means to crack down on illegal activity in the lettings market, tenants will have more protection and the standards of the rental sector will be raised.

“An environment where exploitative landlords are stamped out will enable good landlords and letting agents to thrive. The Guild has a very strict Code of Conduct to ensure its Members provide a full regulatory service to both landlords and tenants.”

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