The Government should go further to tackle bad landlords - Ben Cooper
As snow fell across Yorkshire last week, many of us stayed inside our homes – seeking warmth and comfort from the freezing conditions. But for many thousands of people in the private rented sector, their home offers inadequate protection from the cold and are unsatisfactory places to live.
Over a quarter of households (26 per cent) in our region live in a home deemed ‘non-decent’, for failing to meet the government’s Decent Homes Standard. This standard is a measure of basic housing quality in England.
In certain parts of Yorkshire, poor quality homes are an even greater problem: 48 per cent of private rented homes in Calderdale and 46 per cent in North Yorkshire are estimated to fail this basic standard.
Even worse, 91,000 Yorkshire households live in a property with a ‘category one’ hazard – or a serious threat to occupants’ life and health. A fifth of those who rent privately in Yorkshire live in dangerous properties, whether that is because of trip hazards, damp and mould, fire risks or seriously low indoor temperatures. There are more households in our region that live in dangerous accommodation than in London, despite the capital’s private rented sector being nearly three times as large.
We should call this what it is – a crisis of housing quality. It worsens the cost of living, increases ill-health, burdens the NHS, prevents children from learning and acts as a drag on economic growth. But it does not receive nearly as much public attention as housing affordability.
Tomorrow, the Renters’ Rights Bill is going through its final stages in the House of Commons before being sent to the House of Lords. It will dramatically transform private renting, and help raise the quality of accommodation in our region.
For example, it will require privately rented properties to meet the Decent Homes Standard for the first time. And landlords will be prevented from evicting families for no reason (or ‘no fault’ evictions).
But the government could go even further, to ensure everyone renting privately has a safe, secure, warm and accessible home. Home Comforts, a Fabian Society report launched today, sets out how.
First, the government should introduce a new Good Home Standard for the private rented sector – replacing the Decent Home Standard. As part of this, properties should be accessible and adaptable for disabled and older people. Changes such as second handrails, accessible window openers, and handgrips should be mandatory for those who need them. And landlords should be required to prevent overheated homes, a growing problem in the summer.
Second, the government should provide targeted funding for landlords to meet this new standard – but with conditions to protect tenants. A mixture of grants and loans would mean that landlords are not rewarded for failure, but costs are not passed on to tenants through higher rents either.
Third, the government should ban private landlords from selling low-quality homes to other private landlords. Too often, landlords can sell the property on for a quick profit to others – avoiding their own responsibilities when it comes to housing standards. Breaking this cycle is crucial. The government should encourage these properties to be sold to more regulated providers such as housing associations and councils, by backing the ban up with funding to turn non-decent private rented properties into good quality social homes.
Overall, the Renters Rights Bill is a really welcome first step toward improving housing quality in Yorkshire. But the government should now go further to tackle bad landlords who fail to provide safe, secure and warm homes for their tenants.
Ben Cooper is research manager at the Fabian Society.