Call for action to tackle anti-social tenants
TORBAY is being urged to take action to tackle the issue of anti-social behaviour caused by tenants of rogue private landlords.
Mayor Gordon Oliver is being urged to find more money from his already stretched budget to deal with the issue.
A review panel is recommending he approve a new project costing £36,000 in 2012/13 and £59,000 in 2013/4 with one full-time member of staff appointed and legal support provided.
The panel has recommended scrapping the Torbay Landlord Accreditation Scheme and replacing it with new licensing and planning rules in a bid to improve housing standards for some of the poorest in the community.
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The report has recommended targeting neighbourhoods, particularly Torquay and Paignton town centres, depending on the level of complaints and information received.
A fast-track approach would be adopted to encourage landlords to better manage their properties and to prosecute landlords who fail to comply.
Currently, only larger houses privately rented to multiple occupants are subject to council licensing, ensuring they meet certain criteria.
A report to the council meeting on Wednesday, May 16, states the aim is to process a significant and prominent number of cases.
It has been suggested there could be selective licensing of premises and anyone wanting to rent out a property should first get planning permission from the council.
There have been 1,400 complaints to the council about private landlords in the past two years.
The mayor will take a decision at the Oldway Mansion meeting at 5.30pm.
Comments
by ivanovski
Wednesday, May 16 2012, 5:59PM
“Re reading this I have to say that it is difficult to imagine who is behind this strange proposal. Landlords are already regulated by a whole raft of legislation, they provide property, they cannot "manage" tenants. should the public be asked to fund up to £ 59k at time of restraint in the ever burgeoning public sector, taking on more staff and legal support, to shoot at the wrong target.”
by Pablosi
Tuesday, May 15 2012, 10:33PM
“There are so many drug people in Torquay who don't care about anyone but themselves. They cannot be controlled.”
by ivanovski
Tuesday, May 15 2012, 5:32PM
“There is a certain amount of confusion about this article. The headline is about tackling "anti social tenants" The rest of it is seeking further legislation to control landlords.
Certainly landlords who let sub standard accommodation which is not clean ( when let ) damp free and safe, expose themselves to pressure perhaps in the form of legislation to improve their properties - nothing wrong with that. What they cannot do is control the bad behavior of tenants. Landlords are not the police force nor the criminal justice system. The only sanction they have is to give a badly behaving tenant notice to quit. That could take many months and have them up against Shelter, CAB bureaux and legally aided lawyers. The tenants may then move to another property and take their bad behavior with them - nothing gained.
I couple of years ago there was the proposal to make all landlords responsible for the bad behavior of their tenants within two miles of the property. So manifestly stupid of course that It had to be dropped but why was it proposed at all? Instead of trying to shift the blame away from the tenants maybe the criminal justice system could actually deal with the troublesome tenants as it would have done years ago.”
by mothershipton
Tuesday, May 15 2012, 4:37PM
“TheTFJ
You must be referring to South Devon Residential Landlords Association and that other letting agency at Castle Circus that as you so eloquently put it:-
"cram as many drug taking benefit seekers into one house as possible and claim as much from the tax payer for rent as possible"”
by ThePFJ
Tuesday, May 15 2012, 9:36AM
“Well if they are going to be subject to the same criteria that multi occupant dwellings are currently subject to it's not going to make a great deal of difference. It's just a case of cram as many drug taking benefit seekers into one house as possible and claim as much from the tax payer for rent as possible.”