A landlord in suburban London is the first in the UK to have their properties taken over ‘long-term’ by a council after failing to license 18 homes within a portfolio.
As LandlordZONE reported at the time, the saga began early last when Merton council in SW London took control of the homes for 12 months from an unnamed rogue landlord who had ignored tenants’ pleas to carry out repairs and persistently failed to license the properties under the London borough’s selective scheme which was introduced last year.
But that 12 month ‘Interim Management Order’ under Section 80 of the Housing Act 2004 during which the homes were looked after by not-for-profit lettings agency Capital Letters, has now expired.
Merton council says the landlords has still failed to license the properties largely because their poor state of repair prevents them being upgraded and, therefore, it has decided under its licensing powers to take over the properties for up to five years, called a Final Management Order.
The tenants’ rent will be used to improve the properties.
“This sends a clear message to rogue landlords - we’re committed to raising the standard of living for everyone, and we will clamp down on landlords who are not meeting their legal obligations to their tenants,” says Council Andrew Judge (main image) Cabinet Member for Housing and Sustainable Development.
“Everyone deserves to live in decent housing, and we know there are many good landlords in Merton, but a handful are flouting their responsibilities to provide safe and suitable homes for tenants, particularly those in vulnerable situations.”
Merton is one of the few councils to apply for an Interim Management Order – the others being Coventry and Waltham Forest – and is thought to be the first to secure a Final Management Order against a landlord’s portfolio.
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