Tiny bedrooms are to be banned as Ministers declare war on landlords cashing in on sky-high migration
Tough new rules will introduce a ‘minimum room size’ – as well as giving tenants 'decent' storage space
BROOM-CUPBOARD bedrooms and beds in sheds are to be banned as Ministers declare war on landlords cashing in on sky-high migration.
Tough new rules will introduce a ‘minimum room size’ of 6.5 square metres in shared homes and flats – as well as giving tenants “decent” storage and space for bins.
Officials fear rampant immigration has caused an explosion in illegal bedsits as landlords exploit migrants by cramming them in squalid housing.
The Government last night said that recent checks on more than 33,000 homes across England had left 2,800 rogue landlords facing prosecution for providing “substandard” homes.
In July, a council raid found an astonishing 31 people packed into a squalid four-bed semi in north London near Wembley.
Six tenants were stuffed into each room with a woman living in a shack of pallets and tarpaulin.
Property investors are also charging hundreds a month for a bed in cramped wooden sheds or huts at the back of a garden.
Housing and Planning Minister Gavin Barwell said the new crackdown would stop landlords exploiting tenants by cramming them into unsafe accommodation and charging a fortune.
He said: “In order to build a country that truly works for everyone we must ensure that everyone has somewhere safe and secure to live.
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“By driving rogue landlords that flout the rules out of business, we are raising standards and giving tenants the protection they need.”
Currently, licensing rules only apply to homes with three or more floors and excludes flats above or below shops.
The Government said it would also be tightening up the fit and proper person test for landlords and ensure criminal record checks are carried out to weed out rogues.
An investigation in August found businessmen were openly advertising cramped and dingy rooms filled wall-to-wall with bunk beds on Polish internet forums.
One website offered bunk beds in triple rooms for £60 per week in Dagenham, east London.
At the time, David Cox, head of the Association of Residential Letting Agents, said: “There are a lot of properties where there are migrant labour workers, potentially coming in illegally, or illegal overstayers and a professional landlord would not accept them.
“This means unscrupulous landlords can fill their properties to the rafters with people living on top of each other.”