Work needed to crackdown on poor landlords

Tenants in Plymouth living in "appalling conditions"

Not enough is being done in Plymouth to crackdown on landlords whose tenants live in poor conditions.

At a city council meeting, Cllr Alison Raynsford (Lab, St Peter and the Waterfront) said some landlords in her ward are “verging on criminal”.

She continued: “St Peter and the Waterfront has an extremely large number of private rented properties. Some are managed by very good landlords [but] some are shocking, verging on criminal as the conditions they expect their residents to live in are appalling.

“I have a couple of families who are getting really desperate.”

Cabinet member for housing Cllr Chris Penberthy (Lab, St Peter and The Waterfront) said work is being done to try and improve private rental accommodation in the city, but added: “I know it’s not enough.”

He said financial cuts mean the council’s housing teams can only be reactive, not proactive.

“The teams are not as big as they used to be, and there is a whole series of wards where we could be doing more. As it is, the team are actively intervening in a substantial number of cases.”

Cllr Penberthy said the council is trying to streamline enforcement. Since coming to power last May, the Labour administration had issued 74 formal notices to improve properties, £16,000 in fines and three civil penalty notices (if improvement notices are not complied with).

It had recorded 537 dwellings improved, 1,016 properties inspected, 127 category 1 (risk to life) hazards removed, become involved in managing 77 houses of multiple occupation (HMOs), investigated and removed six nuisances following complaints and referred 25 issues to its planning department.

The South West Landlords Association is providing new training courses for landlords to which the council had offered free places, and there is a city-wide approach to damp and cold homes, and high rise buildings being reviewed.