Issue - items at meetings - Private Sector Housing Enforcement Strategy

Report of Executive Director, Neighbourhoods, Communities & Housing

1. The Housing Committee approves the Enforcement Policy, including the

approach to fees, charges and fines charges and methods of debt recovery.

2. The Housing Committee notes that procedures will be devised, and the policy implemented from April 2020.

3. The Committee agrees the approach to fees, charges and fines, along with indicative amounts. These will be kept under review and if significant changes are considered necessary, these will be brought back to Committee.

26.1       The Committee considered the report presented by Sylvia Peckham.

26.2      Recent legislative changes have introduced new powers to tackle private sector landlords who do not maintain their privately rented properties to a safe, secure and warm standard. The Council is required to have regard to the Regulators’ Code when regulating private rented housing standards, which came into force 6th April 2014 under the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006. This provides a clear, flexible and principles-based framework for how regulators should engage with those they regulate.

26.3      A Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy has been developed to reflect these changes and detail how the council will regulate standards and tackle empty homes. The Enforcement Policy will enable consistency of approach and sets out what residents can expect from the service. The policy also contains a process for appeal against enforcement action and/or or legal proceedings.

26.4      Councillor Peter Atkinson stressed the need for partnership working with landlords in the city and thanked ACORN for there work. The Councillor was informed that alternative options to prosecution were always sort and legal advice taken in each case. It was noted were overcrowding is an issue, the fitness for habitation statutory guidance is used. The Council can offer support. Legal advice is also sort in each case. The Councillor was informed that licensing fund and the general fund support staffing. If more enforcement action is to be taken, then more funds would be required. The Councillor noted that s21 was to be removed by the Government.

26.5      Councillor David Gibson was informed that at the triage stage the numbers are levelling and staying the same as the previous year. Any changes will be reviewed later, when and if needed.

26.6      Councillor Mary Mears was informed that the number of enforcement officers did not include the field officers.

26.7      Councillor Siriol Hugh-Jones received confirmation that the highest charge for a landlord who was culpable was £30,000.

26.8      Councillor Martin Osborne commented that they felt that tenants in the private rented sector may not know the Council can offer help and support. The Councillor was informed that, in order to reach out to tenants, the website has been changed to be more user friendly. Tenants are now able to submit photographs as part of their query. Moving forward, other ideas will be discussed. It was noted that social media is not widely used at the present time, this may change in the future. It was noted that a review of the monitoring will be reported to the Chair for the next meeting. The Rogue landlord’s data base is generally avoided with a preference to negotiate a situation. Landlords can be added to the nationwide data base who are given a banning or order or convicted of certain offences.

26.9      Resolved:

1. The Housing Committee approves the Enforcement Policy, including the approach to fees, charges and fines charges and methods of debt recovery.

2. The Housing Committee notes that procedures will be devised, and the policy implemented from April 2020.

3. The Committee agrees the approach to fees, charges and fines, along with indicative amounts. These will be kept under review and if significant changes are considered necessary, these will be brought back to Committee.