The housing charity Shelter has published New research revealing that rogue landlords are operating unchecked across the country, even after they have been reported to local authorities. The report shows that local councils are dragging their feet when it comes to enforcement action.

The research was carried out across 326 local authorities, worryingly the results show that 1,477 landlords known to local authorities who are said to be repeatedly making tenants’ lives a misery, have not yet been approached to be dealt with. A big concern for local authorities, show that complaints about serious and potentially life-threatening hazards, including dangerous gas and electrics, have risen by 25% over the past two years.

But are all the reports of unscrupulous landlords renting out sub-standard and in some cases down right dangerous properties true?

If you look at the figures, complaints about rogue landlords have risen to 86,628 in the last year. But the bigger concern is that just 270 successful prosecutions have been brought by local authorities against landlords during the same period. This all sounds very worrying and on the surface would indicate that renting is a very hazardous choice for any would be tenants, but lets take a step back and look at the facts,

Out of the 21.6 million households in England, 3.4 million people, 33%, are currently in rented accommodation. Both Dispatches and Shelter only showcases a minority of landlords who choose to flout the law and risk the safety of the tenants in the interest of simply making as much money as possible.

In a shock announcement, Grant Shapps has said that the pending localism bill will now include standards for private rental property to reach prescribed higher standards. As yet, the Housing minister has not elaborated on what or how these stipulations will effect landlords and the properties they let out. But with the Green Deal to come into force next year, there is speculation that this may well be a major part of the Localism bills higher standards requiring landlords to increase insulation and energy efficiency of their properties.

If the speculation is correct, then when the next stage of the Localism bill is introduced, then private landlords could be in for a hard time not to mention an expensive one. The commencement of the Green Deal in 2012 will assist landlords in resolving the energy efficiency issues, however it will not offer funding for the more important and possibly more expensively aspect of the impending higher standards which could include, re-wiring and extreme maintenance of all properties that don’t meet current standards

So while the media circus continues in regards to a failing minority of ‘Rogue Landlords’ we must not forget the 1000s of good landlords who are getting it right and are letting out decent homes to tenants across the UK. Until there is a nationwide scheme adhered to and regulated by one body, then renting a property will always be a lottery in regards to what type of landlord you get.

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