How councils play a crucial role in driving up private rented sector standards

Unfortunately, though, there are downsides. In addition to a lack of security of tenure and affordability issues, there is often health inequality among private renters, as an increasing number of properties failing to meet the Decent Homes Standard often because they include a Category 1 hazard, constituting a severe or immediate risk to health and safety.

Many tenants are too fearful to complain because they’re afraid of being evicted and sadly some landlords are disinterested and only motivated by profit. The most acute problems are found in houses of multiple occupation (HMOs).

Although the ideal solution for long-term tenancies is more social housing, this is not currently the reality for many households due to lack of supply.

The private rented sector could provide a suitable solution for longer-term occupation, if managed properly. With the right legal framework it can give tenants more security so they enjoy a settled life for themselves and their families.

By providing good-quality and secure housing to the people who can afford it the sector can also relieve pressure from housing needs registers, ensuring that people with the greatest need have a shorter wait for social rented housing. In turn, hopefully this can cut the increasing use of temporary accommodation – which has risen more than 50% in the past 10 years.

It would also reduce the burden on councils’ budget books. Currently, tens of millions are spent each year by councils in managing homelessness and providing temporary accommodation.

“Many tenants are too fearful to complain because they’re afraid of being evicted and sadly some landlords are disinterested and only motivated by profit”

This brings me back to why we here in Welwyn Hatfield Council (and of course all the other local authorities up and down the country) are doing such a great job in helping to make private renting a better and safer option for people who access it, either through choice or necessity.

So, for those who are not in the know: what is the role of local authorities in ensuring that private tenants live in safe, good quality and well managed homes?

A team member at Welwyn Hatfield Council sums it up nicely: “It’s fantastic to see how our job really can help improve tenants’ lives. From seeing a new stair lift being fitted under a disabled facilities grant, to helping a tenant get their disrepair resolved.

“We can help educate tenants and landlords to encourage a positive relationship between both parties. I enjoy seeing the standard of properties in our borough improving and striving to make tenants happy and comfortable within their home.”

Although councils have different structures in place, with enforcement often carried out by the environmental health teams, in our council we have a dedicated private sector housing team.

The team’s primary role is to identify and then licence HMOs, a priority due to the relatively high number of such properties in our borough, which hosts the University of Hertfordshire and on the basis that HMOs present a much higher risk of fire hazards and other health and safety issues.

Many landlords do not voluntarily register HMOs and the part of our work to seek out and identify is arduous and time consuming.

More than 800 inspections were carried out last year, plus hundreds of unannounced door knocks that equated to thousands of hours of pounding the pavements for our small team.

The team also deals with complaints from private sector and housing association tenants and will carry out investigations, dealing with all issues from unlawful eviction, harassment, poor management and disrepair.

“The use of enforcement is not the best answer for driving up standards in private rented housing. The way to improve lives for tenants is to be proactive”

Our team will work closely with tenants and landlords to help resolve issues.

Where problems are identified, the council has statutory enforcement powers. These have been successfully used by us and large fines and enforcement notices have been issued to landlords.

However, the use of enforcement is not the best answer for driving up standards in private rented housing. The way to improve tenants’ lives is to be proactive.

Here in Welwyn Hatfield, we take the lead on an innovative voluntary private landlords’ accreditation scheme – which is nicely called PALS.

Currently 30% of the borough’s private rented homes are covered by the scheme. PALS is unusual as it combines an assessment of the competence of the property manager with the inspection of their portfolio to check that it meets the required standards.

This is done on a rolling programme and depending on the portfolio size we would aim to visit 20% each year. This enables the team to focus its formal enforcement powers on the parts of the sector which may not be responsive to the informal approach.

The team is also always ready to give advice and support to any landlord so that they can help make better lives for their tenants.

The private sector team is not all about standards in private rented homes. We also manage disabled facilities grant applications for all private residents in the borough, helping people to remain independent and safe in their home.

So, hats off to the fabulous work carried out by local authorities which, through a combination of proactive engagement and persistence in dealing with bad landlords, are helping the private rented sector effectively fill the gap in housing demand.

Simone Chinman Russell, corporate director for housing and communities, Welwyn Hatfield Council