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Morning Briefing: 90% of councils did not use rogue landlord powers
Nearly 90% of councils in England did not use new powers to fine rogue landlords last year, an investigation has found
In the news
The Guardian runs a story on Freedom of Information research carried out by the Residential Landlords Association, which also found that 67% of local authorities failed to commence a single prosecution against a landlord in 2017/18.
Of 332 civil penalties issued in line with new powers introduced in April last year, 271 were made by London boroughs.
The Daily Mirror covers an open letter from Jeremy Corbyn to Theresa May about the “national emergency” of poverty in the UK – drawing attention to people in temporary accommodation and those adversely affected by Universal Credit.
Meanwhile, the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme claims a London letting agent charged prospective tenants £300 just to see a property.
Elsewhere, the Ministry of Defence has been accused of exacerbating the housing crisis in Kent, where Kent Online has found that a third of the government department’s 33 homes in the area stand empty.
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And The Guardian reports that some disability charities have hit out at the Home Builders Federation for submitting objections to councils across England which are hoping to introduce new targets for accessible and adaptable homes.
The New Statesman runs a powerful piece about rough sleeping in London, which argues the problem is symptomatic of a wider crisis.
In Coventry, the BBC reports that the council has agreed to rent an investor-owned 17-storey tower block – which it built in 1965 before selling it off in 1985 – to use as temporary accommodation for homeless households.
And finally, a developer has chopped down a 200-year-old giant redwood tree in Swansea “by mistake”, according to the BBC.
On social media
Ian Clark of Together Housing appears unimpressed with M&S Bank’s advice for purchasing your first home:
Here it is folks, #ukhousing all you need to do to get on the property ladder is dress like Noddy Holder from Slade t.co/0URY82zUBT
— Ian Clark (@togetherian)Here it is folks, #ukhousing all you need to do to get on the property ladder is dress like Noddy Holder from Slade https://t.co/0URY82zUBT
— Ian Clark (@togetherian) November 28, 2018
What’s on
- It’s the second day of the Homes 2018 conference in London, where housing minister Kit Malthouse will be making an appearance
- MPs will hold a Westminster Hall debate at 1.30pm on the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee’s report into the private rented sector and the government’s response
