Rogue landlords are pocketing billions while providing substandard homes

Last Updated: January 23, 2017By

Rogue landlords are pocketing billions of taxpayers’ cash [Image: Getty].

Shadow Housing Secretary John Healey said: “A Labour government would act decisively to raise standards for private renters so that no-one has to live in sub-standard, dangerous housing, including by giving local councils new powers to sort out bad landlords in their areas.”

Let’s all just remember that, while we squat in our freezing garrets, waiting for this year’s embodiment of the spirit of Rachman to come and demand more of everybody’s money.

It seems a Conservative Government has no problem handing out billions of pounds in return for a substandard service in the housing rental industry – especially if it gets to blame the tenants for a problem that has nothing to do with them.

Theresa May makes much of her claims of fairness – where’s the fairness in that?

Rogue landlords are pocketing billions of pounds of taxpayers’ cash every year, research reveals.

Private landlords letting sub-standard homes trouser £2.3billion in housing benefit annually, according to an analysis by Labour. That amounts to £1 in every £10.

The figures, from the official English Housing Survey, show the scale of public subsidy for private landlords whose properties are classed as being of a “non-decent” standard.

The rating means houses contain a serious hazard or have fallen into a poor state of repair.

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7 Comments

  1. NMac January 23, 2017 at 9:43 am - Reply

    How long before the next Rachman style scandal I wonder?

  2. PJB January 23, 2017 at 10:20 am - Reply

    As from today, landlords will no longer be allowed to give a room to people who are on benefits, full stop but I’m sure they will find a way round it.
    What are people meant todo? I’m already in social housing and I don’t know how the rules work because I’m on benefits to, it’s going to be horrendous for families who have nowhere to go and the two dropouts who made these rules have been sacked or ran away, should thier ideas be allowed when they’ve done a runner?.

  3. Barry Davies January 23, 2017 at 10:52 am - Reply

    This was always going to be the outcome of flogging off the council houses, funny that those who could see a quick profit couldn’t see the obvious outcomes.

  4. June Knight January 23, 2017 at 11:36 am - Reply

    Dont wait for Labour to help tenants and private housing residents they are just as hand in glove, hand in pocket with local rogue landlords and property developers as everyone else.

    And the direction from Labour when Tories got in 2010 and 2015 was for Labour to purposely make it worse, cut services, leave disabled, carers and elderly abandoned, evict them, close their services and blame it on the Tories.

    I was informed it was a policy decided by my local Labour council not to come out to certain properties and landlord properties and turn their back, no matter what or who was harmed or permanently given life long health diseases.

    So forget the Labour is our friend and saviour. They are equal bastards and will use you and abuse you for sake of power.

    I suggested that as landlords get Housing Benefit to provide substandard housing they should be fined the equivalent of the housing benefit for the time the property is substandard, they would soon move. But Labour was a landlords, property developers are their friends and bung them mega to turn their backs and help in retaliatory evictions.

    STOP PROMOTING ROT.

    • Mike Sivier January 24, 2017 at 12:10 pm - Reply

      Labour was forced to do the things you mention in local government because the Tories cut their funding. The Tories absolutely were to blame and your anger is entirely misdirected.
      It may interest you to know that this was exactly the result the Tories wanted so you played right into their hands.
      Who informed you of this Labour policy? Was it a member of Labour or another party?
      Labour stood up against the Bedroom Tax, Labour MPs put forward Bills to stop landlords from throwing tenants out for complaining about poor conditions (defeated or filibustered by Tories), and Labour intends to legislate so that everybody has a decent place to live.
      But you want to attack Labour.
      That means you support the Bedroom Tax, substandard housing and the ability of landlords to throw tenants out.
      Think about it.

  5. Lorraine Hayton January 23, 2017 at 12:22 pm - Reply

    Now that housing benefit for social tenants is being removed, the private landlords have a clear run!

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