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Medway Council brings in new measures to fight rogue landlords

Rogue landlords in Medway will face harsher penalties after new enforcement measures were unveiled.

The new rules, which include financial penalties of up to £30,000, will come into force from June 1 and apply to all tenancies across Medway.

Some landlords are happy to taken the rent money but won't maintain properties. Stock photos
Some landlords are happy to taken the rent money but won't maintain properties. Stock photos

Cllr Howard Doe (Con), Medway Council's cabinet member for housing, said the crackdown was "not a witch-hunt" during the council's second virtual cabinet meeting on Tuesday at Chatham's Gun Wharf and councillor homes.

However, he added: "I want to be loud and clear that time is running out for rogue landlords. The authority will crackdown even harder than ever before."

More than 18,000 households across the Towns are provided by the private sector, but some rented out accommodation has been described as "unsafe" and "substandard" while others are unlicensed.

Under the new laws, private landlords must ensure that the household meets electrical safety standards; the home is occupied under a licensed tenancy and electrical installations are regularly inspected by a qualified worker.

Medway Council chiefs say the new powers will help the local authority to tackle "irresponsible" landlords and ensure homes are properly maintained. Cllr Doe added: "We do not want London landlords thinking they can push tenants into Medway and influence the market that way."

Cllr Howard Doe (7333159)
Cllr Howard Doe (7333159)

The move comes after councils across England were recently granted greater enforcement powers as part of an updated UK government legislative package. This will be at no financial cost to local authorities.

Medway Council's leader Alan Jarrett (Con) said: "These times won't prevail forever and it's important to have a good and strong policy to use when we are back out of lockdown, Covid-19 is no longer a problem and we can operate as business as usual."

His comments came a week after a Medway Council paper published to the cabinet stated that complaints raised by tenants will be investigated, although initial attempts will be made to resolve the complaint informally.

It adds: "Enforcement action will be taken if the council is not satisfied that the issue has been resolved, if the property presents a severe risk to tenant safety or if the landlord has a history of non-compliance."

More than 80% of respondents to a Medway Council public consultation agreed with the council's approach in levying a penalty charge for failure to comply with the laws between February 12 and March 10.

Although there were less than 20 responses out of a potential 18,000 tenants. Medway Council's Labour party housing spokesman, Cllr Naushabah Khan (Lab), said: "The number of people responding to the consultation is very small given the number of tenants."

Despite supporting the move, Medway Council's main opposition leader, Cllr Vince Maple (Lab) added that he was "disappointed" about the process, saying that it should have been discussed by the scrutiny committee first.

Read more: All the latest news from Medway

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