ROGUE LANDLORDS IN LONDON

Transcription

1 hf ROGUE LANDLORDS IN LONDON Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM An update on local authority enforcement in the private rented sector October 2017

2 Contents Page Introduction by Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM 2 What is the problem? 4 What is the Mayor doing? 6 What is the Housing Health and Safety Rating System? 7 What is Selective Licensing? 9 Selective Licensing Schemes in London 10 Summary of the Private Rented Sector in London 12 Survey Methodology 14 Summary of Results 15 Full Survey Results 16 Recommendations 18 Endnotes 19 1

3 Introduction London s private rented sector has more than doubled in size over the past decade and it is now the second largest housing tenure in the capital. Over the same period, the number of owner occupiers shrunk by 10 percent (see figure1). The 1 million private rental properties in London currently house over 2 million people around a third of the population. And there are no signs that this situation will change any time soon. Living in the private rented sector works well for many people, as short-term tenancy agreements offer the flexibility needed to move home quickly when new job opportunities, or changes in circumstances, arise. For some though, the sector has become a tenure of last resort. Soaring house price inflation has put home ownership beyond most middle-income households, and a growing number of families have been left with no choice but to stay in the private rented sector. New laws which increase local councils ability to place homeless households in private rented homes, coupled with a desperate shortage of social rented homes, have left many low-income and vulnerable households living in the private rented sector. The increased number and profile of private renters has done little to improve conditions in the sector, which remain highly variable. Around a third of homes fail to meet the Government s Decent Homes standard. Last year I conducted a survey into the enforcement of standards in the private rented sector by local authorities, which established that enforcement was highly variable. This remains the case. Cuts to Local authority budgets have reduced the resources available to tackle landlords who provide poor or unsafe living conditions. The resulting patchwork enforcement has left thousands of Londoners at the mercy of rogue landlords. 2

4 My previous report made a number of recommendations to improve the way in which the sector could be reformed to meet the needs of modern renters. These include ways to tackle the absence of effective regulation and the lack of professionalism that plague the sector. I have returned to review the private rented sector to determine whether lessons have been learned. It is disappointing that, despite the Mayor s promises to get a grip of the sector, little has changed. While some of my recommendations have been followed up on, progress has been slow and leadership remains lacking. If the sector is to lose its reputation as the property industry s Wild West, a proper framework of regulation and enforcement is required. The Greater London Authority (GLA) should lead on this. Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM Londonwide Member of the London Assembly 3

5 Figure 1: Tenure trends in London, by percentage of households Percentage of households Owner Occupiers Private Renters Social Renters Year Source: DCLG, English Housing Survey What s the problem? Despite huge changes in the demographics of the private rented sector in recent years with an increasing number of families, low-income and vulnerable households living in the sector conditions remain poor: more than a quarter of homes fail to meet the Government s Decent Homes Standard, with over 60 per cent of renters having experienced either damp, mould, leaking roofs or windows, electrical hazards, animal infestation or gas leaks. 2 While the exact number of rogue landlords operating in the sector remains unknown, there is a growing sense that the problem is getting worse as demand for housing (and the profits that can be made from renting out substandard accommodation) continues to increase, with one in 8 renters in the hands of a landlord who has broken the law in the last 12 months. 3 4

6 Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM 5

7 What is the Mayor doing? Sadiq Khan s manifesto included measures to improve conditions in the private rented sector, including: Setting up a London-wide not-for-profit lettings agency for good landlords, building on the work that councils have started. Working alongside boroughs to promote landlord licensing schemes to drive up standards, and make the case to government for London-wide landlord licensing. Name and shame rogue landlords and ensure tenants have access to this information online. 4 6

8 Since becoming Mayor, Sadiq Khan has continued to highlight the poor living conditions experienced by some private renters and repeated his intention to get a grip on the private rented sector. 5 Appearing before the London Assembly on 19 October 2016, the Mayor signalled his support for local authorities wishing to crack down on bad landlords through properly enforced landlord licensing schemes. 6 The Mayor s draft Housing Strategy reiterated the aim to name and shame rogue landlords. It also made commitments to support councils to operate well-designed property licensing schemes, and to more closely share information and coordinate their actions. 7 I am pleased that the Mayor has committed to act on some of the recommendations that my previous report put forward, 8 but I remain concerned that no timescale for introducing these measures has been announced. I welcome the Mayor s recent U-turn on including information about landlords convicted of fire safety offences when it is launched, after I raised this issue with him earlier this year. 9 He should now take another of my recommendations on board and ensure that landlords who do not comply with new energy efficiency standards are included in future iterations of his database. 10 Further details about how the GLA will lead on developing a more consistent approach to property licensing schemes are also needed. What is the Housing Health and Safety Rating System? The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is a risk assessment which allows local authorities to assess housing conditions in private rented sector properties. The system focuses on identifying potential risks and hazards to health and safety arising from any deficiencies identified in dwellings. 11 7

9 Where deficiencies are identified, local authorities have a range of powers at their disposal to force owners and landlords to put matters right. The system was introduced under the Housing Act 2004 and applies to residential properties in England and Wales. How does the Housing Health and Safety Rating System work in practice? 12 A local authority officer will inspect a property looking for any risk of harm to occupiers. The installations inspected include: Water, gas and electricity - These items must have whatever is needed for their proper use. All equipment necessary to supply these utilities must be fully, safely and correctly installed. Personal hygiene - This covers installations such as hand basins, showers and/or baths. Sanitation and drainage - This covers lavatories, WC basins, drains, waste pipes, rainwater goods, inlet gullies and inspection chambers. Food safety - This covers sinks, draining boards, worktops, cooking facilities, cupboards and/or shelves for storing food, cooking and eating utensils. Ventilation - This covers elements such as airbricks, trickle vents, opening lights to windows and mechanical and non-mechanical ventilation equipment. Space and water heating installations - This covers any kind of fitted space heating appliance, central heating system or water system for providing hot water. Moveable heaters, kettles and other appliances of that kind are not included. Once the inspection is complete the officer calculates a score - using a formal scoring system to show the seriousness of any hazards found during their visit. A system of bands (A-J) allows the severity of different hazards to be compared, for example damp and mould against carbon monoxide. The bands range from A (scores of 5,000 or more), which is the most dangerous and life threatening, down to J (scores of nine or less), the least serious. 8

10 If an officer finds a serious hazard (i.e. one in the higher scoring bands A C, known as a Category 1 hazard) the local authority has a duty to take the most appropriate course of action from a range of measures prescribed in the HHSRS Enforcement Guidance. 13 These include: Serving an Improvement Notice - This is a possible course of action for dealing with Category 1 or 2 hazards and must at the very least remove any Category 1 hazards. Once the necessary work has been done, the authority must revoke the notice. Failure to carry out the required works in the Improvement Notice within the specified timeframe is a criminal offence. Making a Prohibition Order - This can prohibit the use of part or all of the premises, for example where conditions are a serious threat to health and/or safety but practical repairs are not possible because of cost or other reasons. Serving a Hazard Awareness Notice - This option is in the nature of advisory action where the authority wants to draw attention to the need for improvements. It could be a possible, though unusual, response to a Category 1 hazard. The notice must give details of the hazard concerned and what action is needed to deal with it. Taking emergency remedial action - Where there is a Category 1 hazard and the local authority is satisfied that the hazard involves an imminent risk of serious harm to the health or safety of occupiers, the local authority can use emergency measures to get work done or prohibit the use of the dwelling in order to protect its occupiers. Using its powers the authority can carry out immediate remedial action. Although it is possible to appeal, in practice, any appeal is likely to be heard after any action has been taken. As the name suggests, Category 2 hazards (i.e. those in scoring bands D - J) are not considered as serious as Category 1 hazards. However, it is still possible for councils to force landlords to take action to address these less severe hazards if they believe it is necessary. Landlords are usually encouraged to conduct improvements to their property voluntarily before issuing any formal notice. Local authorities have the power to charge landlords to recover certain expenses incurred in taking enforcement action. There is no statutory limit but the charge needs to be reasonable. 9

11 What is Selective Licensing? Under the Housing Act (2004) local authorities have the power to introduce a system of mandatory licensing for privately rented homes, known as selective licensing. 14 In order to bring in a selective licensing scheme a local authority must show that, in addition to having a high proportion of property in the private rented sector, the area is experiencing either low housing demand; a significant and persistent problem caused by anti-social behaviour; poor property conditions; high levels of migration; high level of deprivation; or high levels of crime. 15 Landlords who rent out properties in an area that is subject to selective licensing are required to obtain a licence from the local authority for each of their properties. Recent changes Part 3 of the Housing Act (2004) sets out the scheme for licensing private rented properties in a local housing authority area. Under section 80 of the Act, a local housing authority can designate the whole or any part of its area as subject to selective licensing. 16 Following Government criticism of borough-wide licensing schemes (citing increased regulatory burden and costs for reputable landlords) new regulations came into effect from 1 April 2015 which require a local authority to apply to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for specific approval of any scheme that would cover more than 20 per cent of their geographical area or that would affect more than 20 per cent of privately rented homes in the local authority area. 17,18 While pre-existing licensing schemes were not affected by this change, it remains unclear whether current borough-wide schemes will be approved by the Secretary of State when local authorities apply to renew them. Selective Licensing Schemes in London As of August 2017, eleven London boroughs have introduced selective licensing schemes Barking and Dagenham, Brent, Croydon, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Newham, Redbridge, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest. Of these, four schemes operate borough-wide, with the remaining seven schemes applying to selected wards or properties. However, following recent government changes it is unlikely that any new schemes will apply to an entire local authority area. 10

12 Figure 2: Selective Licensing Schemes in London Borough Area covered Date of introduction Date of expiry Barking and Dagenham Borough-wide 1 September August 2019 Brent Selective licensing <20 % of the local authority area (3 Wards: Harlesden, Wembley Central and Willesden Green) 1 January December 2019 Croydon Borough-wide 1 October September 2020 Ealing Selective licensing <20 % of the local authority area (5 Wards: Acton Central, East Acton, South Acton, Southall Green and Southall Broadway) 1 January December 2022 Hammersmith & Fulham Harrow Selective licensing >20% of the local authority area (certain streets across the borough) Selective licensing <20 % of the local authority area (2 Wards: Edgware and Wealdstone) 5 June June 2022 *7 December 2015/ 1 June December 2020/ 31 May 2021 Newham Borough-wide 1 January December 2017** Redbridge Selective licensing <20 % of the 13 July July 2022 local authority area (2 Wards: Valentines and Clementswood) Southwark Selective licensing <20 % of the local authority area (c.5,000 private rented homes across the borough) 1 January December 2020 Tower Hamlets Selective licensing <20 % of the local authority area. (4 wards***: 1 October September

13 Banglatown, Spitalfields. Weavers and Whitechapel) Waltham Forest Borough-wide 1 April March 2020 * dates apply to two separate selective licensing schemes introduced for Edgware Ward and Wealdstone Ward. **plans to extend the scheme upon its expiry until *** ward boundaries that existed pre 22 May 2014 Coverage Borough-wide Selective 12

14 Private Rented Sector in London Figure 3: Households living in the private rented sector, by local authority. 19 Borough No. of households renting from a private landlord 13 Private rented sector (% of housing stock) Barking and Dagenham 14, Barnet 41, Bexley 9, Brent 33, Bromley 17, Camden 25, Croydon 26, Ealing 37, Enfield 24, Greenwich 20, Hackney 25, Hammersmith and Fulham 20, Haringey 21, Harrow 20, Havering 12, Hillingdon 26, Hounslow 26, Islington 24, Kensington and Chelsea 19, Kingston upon Thames 13, Lambeth 38, Lewisham 27, Merton 21, Newham 41,200 39

15 Redbridge 24, Richmond upon Thames 16, Southwark 31, Sutton 15, Tower Hamlets 34, Waltham Forest 28, Wandsworth 35, Westminster 40, Inner London 387, Outer London 429,

16 Figure 4: Density of the Private Rented Sector, by London borough. 20 Private rented sector (% housing stock) 10-15% 16-20% 21-15% 26-30% 31-35% 36-40% 15

17 Survey Methodology In order to assess how local authorities are responding to the growing size of the private rented sector and the need to improve conditions, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request was submitted to all 32 London boroughs asking for the following information: 1) The total number of inspections carried out using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) in 2016/17. 2) The total number of Category 1 hazards as defined by the 2004 Housing Act found by officers in 2016/17. 3) The total number of improvement notices served in the course of dealing with Category 1 or 2 hazards within 2016/ ) The total number of prohibition orders made in the course of dealing with Category 1 or 2 hazards within 2016/17. 5) The total number of hazard awareness notices served in 2016/17. 6) The number of housing prosecutions taken by your local authority under the The City of London was left out from this request as it was felt the number of residents was too low to provide any meaningful data. A total of 32 responses were received, with every borough responding to the request. 22 boroughs provided a full set of answers containing all the information sought. The 10 boroughs which did not provide answers to every question typically cited a lack of recording. Specifically, not recording the number of inspections carried out using the HHSRS and/or not being able to distinguish between the different categories of hazard found during visits. This indicates that almost 70 percent of London boroughs have developed good systems for recording their enforcement activity in the private rented sector and are able to identify key trends and/or areas suffering from poor housing conditions. As the sector continues to grow, all boroughs need to follow best practice procedures, for example by recording when and where Category 1 hazards are found. 16

18 Some caution should be applied when comparing the number of formal notices served, as a number of boroughs were keen to stress that their approach involved offering informal advice to landlords to remove any hazards identified, with formal action being used as a last resort. Summary of Results More than a quarter of councils in London (9 boroughs) failed to prosecute a single landlord for providing unsafe accommodation in 2016/17. A further half of London s councils (16 boroughs) prosecuted fewer than 10 landlords for providing unsafe accommodation in 2016/17. One council alone (Newham) was responsible for almost 60 percent (57 per cent) of prosecutions taken under the Housing Act (2004) in London. Brent was responsible for the second highest number of prosecutions (65), accounting for 11 per cent of all prosecutions taken under the Housing Act (2004) in London. The number of inspections resulting in formal housing prosecutions varies significantly across the boroughs. Croydon prosecutes 0.03 percent of properties inspected, while Newham prosecutes 38 percent. Almost 4,000 Category 1 hazards (i.e. those representing the most serious risks to tenants) were identified in London s private rented sector properties in 2016/17 alone. On average, London boroughs inspected one in every 45 homes in the private rented sector using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). 17

19 Full Survey Results Figure 5: Enforcement activity in the private rented sector 2016/17, by local authority Borough Total HHSRS* inspections Category 1 hazards identified Improvement notices served** Prohibition orders served** Hazard awareness notices served** Total housing prosecutions Barking & Dagenham Barnet 1, Bexley Brent Bromley Camden Croydon 3, Ealing Enfield Greenwich Hackney Hammersmith & Fulham Haringey Harrow Havering Hillingdon Hounslow Islington Kensington & Chelsea Kingston upon Thames Lambeth Lewisham Merton Newham Redbridge Richmond Southwark Sutton

20 Tower Hamlets Waltham Forest 1, Wandsworth Westminster TOTAL 15,029 3, Source: London Assembly Liberal Democrat Group * Housing Health and Safety Rating System. ** See page 8 for an explanation of these measures. Figure 6: Ratio of HHSRS inspections to the number of households living in the private rented sector 21 Total no. of HHSRS inspections (2016/17) No. of households renting from a private landlord 19 Ratio of inspections to PRS households (2017) Ratio of inspections to PRS households (2016) 22 ** Borough Barking and Dagenham 77 14,400 1:187 1: 114 Barnet 1,125 41,200 1: 37 1: 33 Bexley - (9,300) - - Brent ,200 1: 40 1: 90 Bromley - (17,500) - - Camden ,000 1: 39 1: 124 Croydon 3,473 26,200 1: 8 1: 30 Ealing ,700 1: 237 1: 217 Enfield ,200 1: 34 1: 75 Greenwich ,700 1: 90 1: 10 Hackney ,800 1: 59 1: 105 Hammersmith and Fulham - (20,300) - - Haringey ,800 1:119 1: 53 Harrow ,500 1: 43 1: 17 Havering 18 12,600 1: 700 1: 583 Hillingdon ,300 1:28 - Hounslow ,000 1: 51 1: 33 Islington ,800 1: 80 1: 61 Kensington and Chelsea - (19,700) - - Kingston upon Thames 88 13,500 1: 153 1: 56 Lambeth ,900 1:81 - Lewisham ,400 1: 119 1: 689 Merton 72 21,400 1: 297 1: 161 Newham ,200 1: 48 1: 26 Redbridge ,500 1: 42 1: 40 Richmond upon Thames ,700 1: 68 1: 73 Southwark - (31,800) - -

21 Sutton ,700 1: 114 1: 500 Tower Hamlets 63 34,600 1: 549 1: 245 Waltham Forest 1,517 28,000 1: 18 1: 67 Wandsworth ,800 1: 214 1: 285 Westminster ,200 1: 65 - London 15, ,100* 1: 45 1: 54 *total excludes those boroughs where the number of HHRRS inspections is not known **2016 figures included for comparison Recommendations Recommendation 1 The Mayor should undertake an urgent review of conditions in the private rented sector. The Greater London Authority should lead on establishing best practice, in conjunction with local authorities, to improve the consistency of enforcement across the capital. Recommendation 2 The Mayor should work with Government to increase the resources available to councils and reduce the timescales involved in prosecuting private landlords in cases of poor property conditions. Recommendation 3 The Mayor should set out a timescale for including all boroughs on his proposed database of rogue landlords. He should also include details of landlords who do not comply with new energy efficiency standards in future iterations of his database. Recommendation 4 The Mayor should lobby Government for the power to introduce a mandatory licensing scheme for all private landlords in London, with the aim of professionalising the sector, improving conditions and removing rogue landlords from the housing market. Recommendation 5 The Government should abolish restrictions on the size and coverage of selective licensing schemes in London. 20

22 Recommendation 6 The Mayor should encourage all boroughs to keep an up-to-date record of the number of inspections carried out using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, including when and where Category 1 hazards are identified. For more information about this report, or any comments relating to enforcement in the private rented sector, please contact Caroline Pidgeon on , or caroline.pidgeon@london.gov.uk. Endnotes 1 DCLG, English Housing Survey Headline Report , Section 1, Household tables: Trends in tenure, Annex table 1.2: headline-report 2 Figures derived from an online survey of 4,544 English private renters carried out by YouGov between December 2013 and January See Shelter, Can t complain: why poor conditions prevail in private rented homes (2014): data/assets/pdf_file/0006/892482/6430_04_9_million_renters_poli cy_report_proof_10_opt.pdf 3 Shelter: Over a million renters victim to law-breaking landlords 4 Sadiq Khan, A Manifesto for all Londoners, Pp See How will Sadiq Khan help London's private renters?, Guardian, 02 June 2016: 6 See the Mayor s answer to Question No.2016/3630 at Mayor s Question Time on 19 October Sadiq Khan, Draft London Housing Strategy, September Caroline Pidgeon, Rogue Landlords in London: A survey of local authority enforcement in the private rented sector, October See the Mayor s answer to Question No. 2017/2375 on Thursday, 22 June Mayor s Question Time, 12 October For more information see DCLG, Housing health and safety rating system: guidance for landlords and property-related professionals (2006): 21

23 12 Adapted from House of Commons Library Research Briefing (SN01917) The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (2015): Adapted from House of Commons Library Research Briefing (SN/SP/4634) Selective Licensing of Privately Rented Housing (England & Wales) (2015): 13 Office of the Deputy Prime Minster Housing Health and Safety Rating System Enforcement Guidance (2006): stem.pdf 14,15 For more information see DCLG, Selective licensing in the private rented sector: a guide for local authorities (2015): 16 See Part 3 of the Housing Act (2004): 17 See DCLG, Review of Property Conditions in the Private Rented Sector (2014); and the Government Response to this discussion document. 18 Restrictions on borough-wide selective licensing were introduced via The Selective Licensing of Houses (Additional Conditions) (England) Order 2015 : 19, 20 GLA, London Datastore, Housing Tenure of Households, by Borough: 21 Figures derived from GLA, London Datastore (Housing Tenure of Households, by Borough) and responses to a Freedom of Information request submitted by the London Assembly Liberal Democrat Group. 22

24 Report published by Caroline Pidgeon AM, with research assistance from Nia Hunjan. 23