Call for Sheffield-wide licensing to crackdown on rogue landlords
Acorn, which supports people with problems including those with renting, raised the issue during a recent full council meeting.
Catriona Murray, on behalf of Acorn, said: “Since 2016, Acorn has been campaigning for citywide landlord licensing to ban the worst landlords from renting in our city.
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Hide Ad“Since then our union has been growing ever stronger, as we speak we are fighting more and more cases against rogue landlords than ever before.
“We believe this is a crisis that demands urgent action.
“We have seen landlords refusing to repair homes overrun with mould, stealing deposits, serving revenge evictions so we are asking now that the council commit to introducing citywide landlord licensing.”
She added the group put a call out to members and within days gathered 50 stories of bad landlords which they then delivered to the Town Hall on Saturday, February 20.
Councillor Paul Wood, cabinet member for neighbourhoods and community safety, said they were working on a number of projects to tackle renting issues.
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Hide AdThese include a council-accredited scheme which gives the council nomination rights for tenants so it can inspect properties and look after them for a year with the view to extend this, large investment in its private rented sector, enforcement and environmental teams and a working group to look at a citywide licensing scheme that will report back later this year.
Coun Wood added: “The council takes the private rented sector landlords and the quality of the housing very seriously.
“We are committed to ensuring the highest standards across the city. Not only in the private sector but also in the public sector as well.
“Be assured that within the powers and resources we have at the moment we are increasing the monitoring of the private rented sector and we will continue to do that and work towards getting what you are looking for.”