Banning orders approved to crack down on rogue landlords in Rotherham

A report, which was agreed at yesterday’s (April 25) cabinet meeting states: “Landlords could be banned from renting out residential properties if found guilty of offences including unlawful eviction, harassment, overcrowding, and fire or gas safety offences.”

Breaching a banning order could see the individual handed a custodial sentence of up to 51 weeks, an unlimited fine or both.

The individual would also be banned from engaging in letting agency or property management work.

Councillor Amy Brookes, cabinet member for housing told the meeting: “It enables the council to take action on unscrupulous and rogue landlords, who have been convicted of certain offences… and it can ban them from managing or renting a property for minimum of 12 months.

“It’s a very severe sanction to improve the private rented sector.

MORE: Banning orders to be approved after rise in “unregulated landlords” advertising Rotherham properties through social media

“We know that poor management in the private sector really impacts upon tenants, health and safety, so this is a very welcome tool in our arsenal.”

Councillor Chris Read, leader of the council added: “This moves us from a situation which we have had, certainly, where we’ve taken individual properties out of use as rental properties for a period of time because of problems associated with them, to a situation where we’re stopping landlords from being able to operate as landlords full stop in those areas.”

The report adds that the council has seen: “An increase in unregulated and /or unaccredited agents and landlords advertising rented properties through social media, without any appropriate letting background.”