Click here to view the original article ‘Concern over Tenants Paying out £1bn in Repairs’
A new study published by Uncle, a serviced apartment start-up has found that renters are spending over a £1bn of their own funds on property repairs that the landlord has failed to carry out.
According to the study, the average tenant per household pays £217 on repairs that should have been carried out by the landlord within the last year.
The most common issues that have affected tenants include boilers (37%), baths, showers (29%) and toilets (26%).
The survey also revealed that many renters do not completely trust their landlord, while nearly one in five (21%) of renters said their relationship with their landlord is so bad it has affected their physical or mental health.
Separate figures from the English Housing Survey show that over a quarter (27%) of privately rented homes failed to meet the decent homes standard in 2016, while 8% of properties also had some type of damp problem.
The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents 370 councils in England and Wales, argue that higher fines for serious cases such as for fire safety breaches or providing substandard housing would raise standards and provide consistency across the courts.
Under powers introduced earlier this year, councils can enforce fines of up to £30,000 to private landlords for offences such as failing to license a property, or not complying with an improvement notice.
Cllr Martin Tett, LGA housing spokesman, said: “The majority of landlords are decent, responsible law-abiding citizens who do a great job in making sure their tenants are living in safe and quality housing. Unfortunately there is a minority of rogue landlords who give those good landlords a bad name.
“Councils want to work with landlords, not against them. But with more young people and families renting privately than ever before, we need to see reforms that will maintain and improve housing standards.
“Many councils are already tackling issues in the private rental sector by bringing in landlord licensing schemes. But they are limited in how widely these can be introduced. We need to see these rules relaxed and councils given more freedom and flexibility in establishing schemes.
“Landlord licensing schemes allow landlords to demonstrate that they are responsible and adhere to ensuring homes are maintained to a high standard. It also protects and provides reassurance to tenants that they are living in a decent, safe and secure home.”
