Rotherham Council to use tougher laws on rogue landlords

Rotherham Council is to use tougher laws on rogue landlords in a bid to protect private tenants.
Rotherham Council is to use new powers to get tough on rogue landlordsRotherham Council is to use new powers to get tough on rogue landlords
Rotherham Council is to use new powers to get tough on rogue landlords

Councillors voted to tackle poor housing conditions during a meeting last week and now landlord who fail to ensure the safety of their tenants could be prosecuted or face a penalty through the civil courts.

Under the Housing and Planning Act 2016, new powers were made available to councils to help tackle poor housing conditions and associated issues.

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Councillor Dominic Beck, Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, said: "These new powers are a welcome addition to the measures we have already been taking to improve the quality of private rented housing in the borough.

"Our existing Selective Licensing Scheme has been successful in driving improvements in the areas it covers - Masbrough, Maltby South East, Dinnington and Eastwood.

"The new measures will strengthen our powers of enforcement across Rotherham - where tenants are being put in danger by a small minority of rogue landlords - and also enable us to impose civil financial penalties on those landlords who seek to avoid their responsibilities," he added.

Under the new powers, landlords who fail to ensure the safety of their tenants could face a penalty ranging from £25 through to £30,000 per offence.