Landlords will be targeted for minor issues in a draconian move that will see council officers targeting law-abiding landlords. Landlord Licensing & Defence has warned.
A new amendment to the Renters’ Rights Bill agreed by the House of Lords gives local councils the power to conduct surprise inspections on private rented properties without giving notice to landlords.
One critic warned these changes could lead to increased targeting of landlords and hefty fines for minor infractions.
Phil Turtle, a director at Landlord Licensing & Defence, said: “This has little to do with tackling rogue landlords.
“Councils use these powers daily to penalise landlords who may not have everything 100% perfect.
“It’s a system ripe for abuse, with officers acting like bullies to extract fines.
“Some even boast they have more powers of entry than the police.”
Under the new provisions, councils would not have to give landlords 24 hours’ notice before entering properties for enforcement inspections.
The notice requirement will still apply to tenants.
Instead, landlords will be informed within a ‘reasonable amount of time’ after the inspection has occurred.
Turtle argued that current laws, including the Housing Act 2004 and the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, already allow councils to enter properties without notice in cases of suspected offences.
These include entering unlicensed properties or looking for breaches of licence conditions.
He warned that council officers frequently use these powers to ‘catch out’ landlords for minor issues, such as incomplete paperwork, which, under the Bill, can result in fines of up to £40,000.
Turtle added: “Councils have been carrying out surprise inspections for years, often under the flimsiest of pretexts.
“They claim suspicion of unlicensed properties or breaches of regulations to justify unannounced visits, sometimes arriving at 5am with eight officers dressed in uniforms resembling those of the police.
“These tactics are designed to intimidate tenants, and the Renters’ Rights Bill only legitimises this behaviour, giving councils even more scope to target landlords.”
Turtle has encountered landlords who have told him that council officers have threatened tenants with deportation or other consequences to gain access to properties.
He said: “Council officers are already overplaying their hand to intimidate tenants and with the new rules, I shudder to think what might happen, but the rules will be exploited.”