Dromey slams 'tenant abuse' as he vows to regulate private rented sector

Published by Ross Macmillan for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Central Government, Communities, Local Government

Shadow housing minister Jack Dromey has reiterated the Labour Government's intention to regulate the private rented sector (PRS) after he said the abuse of tenants shown in Channel 4's Landlords from Hell programme was 'truly shocking'.

The programme - which uncovered families sent by councils to live in filthy, bed bug-infested homes - aired on Monday night.

Mr Dromey said: “The abuse of tenants that was highlighted in “Landlords from Hell” was truly shocking. Rather than taking decisive action to tackle bad landlords, this out of touch Government has labelled protections for tenants as “red tape”.

“More and more people live in privately rented homes. New research shows that rents are soaring and a growing amount of tenants face abuse. Labour introduced a national register of landlords, regulation of letting and managing agents and compulsory written tenancy agreements, all scrapped by Grant Shapps.

“Labour policy is to regulate the Private Rented Sector to drive standards up and rogue landlords out, protecting tenants and the many reputable landlords.”

In the Government's Housing Strategy, published last month, it said it was "committed" to supporting growth and innovation in the PRS by "avoiding unnecessary regulatory burdens on landlords".

It said it was also looking at measures to deal with rogue landlords and "encouraging local authorities to make full use of the robust powers they already have to tackle dangerous and poorly maintained homes".