Sensors that detect damp and the cold will be planted in rented homes in £4m crackdown on rogue landlords
SENSORS that detect damp and the cold are to be planted in rented homes to catch bad landlords under a new Government crackdown.
The high-tech move is one of a series of pilot projects being funded by ministers in a bid to give more help to hard-pressed renters.
The scheme will see rogue landlords and dodgy letting agents face being taken to court in a £4million crackdown on unsafe rental properties.
More than 100 of England’s 343 councils have been given a share of the funds, which will be used to take action against rule breakers and advise tenants of their housing rights.
Across Yorkshire and the Humber, for example, 22 councils will be funded to train more than 100 enforcement officers.
While in Northampton, a special operations unit will be set up to tackle criminal landlords, and in Thurrock, Essex, vulnerable young tenants will be given extra support alongside social care services.
What to do if your landlord won't carry out repairs
IF a landlord is taking unreasonably long to carry out repairs then tenants can take them to court.
Of course, most tenants would rather not take this action and work things out between themselves.
If a tenant does need to do this then they apply to the local county court.
The court can force a landlord to carry out a fix and pay compensation.
If the court finds in favour of the the tenant then the landlord could be liable for some or all of the legal costs.
Tenants are also able to complain to Environmental Health or a relevant landlord association, but only if their landlord is a member.
For more advice, visit the .
Under the sensor plan being pioneered by Greenwich council, the authority’s enforcement officers will install the small devices after tenants report problems.
In Greenwich, a pilot scheme will be launched to help councils identify homes that aren’t warm enough for tenants.
The wireless sensors will monitor the temperature and humidity levels and alert the council to severe temperature drops or humidity levels that can cause damp and mould.
Landlords will be ordered to improve the heating or treat the damp if devices are triggered — and face prosecution if they fail to do so.
Is your landlord refusing to help with damp or mould in your home? Get in touch by emailing money@the-sun.co.uk
Housing secretary Robert Jenrick says the scheme, announced in November as part of the Tories’ Election promise, will “deliver a better deal for renters”.
He added: “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.
“Everyone deserves to live in a home that is safe and secure.”
But critics say funding is “nowhere near enough”.
David Smith from the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) says that instead of sporadic pots of money, councils should be given “multi-year funding” to help them tackle criminal landlords.
Chris Norris from the National Landlords Association (NLA) adds that the one-time handout is “wholly insufficient in contrast to the long-term issues” faced by authorities.
He said: “The offer of just over £4million to be spread across around 100 of the 343 local authorities – an average of less than £40,000 per council – is simply not enough.”
Shadow housing secretary, Labour’s John Healey, also slammed the amount as a “drop in the ocean” compared to council cuts since 2010.
Renters will also be spared from saving up hundreds of pounds for a deposit every time they move under a new bill announced by the Queen.
The government wants to introduce a so-called lifetime deposit, which would ease the stress of forking over large deposits every time you move.
Last year, new rules meant tenants could take landlords to court over problems including cold and damp homes for the first time, instead of relying on over-stretched local authorities to investigate poor conditions.
Meanwhile, a landlord has been accused of advertising a corridor as a flat for £845 a month.