A Nottinghamshire council has passed a new policy that increases their powers to crack down on rogue landlords.
The Private Sector Housing Civil Penalties Policy will allow Broxtowe Borough Council to hand out fines of up to £30,000 for those who flout the required standards for private housing.
The policy was passed by a unanimous vote in a meeting of the council’s Housing Committee on the 2 February.
At the meeting, David Gell, Head of Public Protection for the council, said: “The vast majority of landlords do toe the line, do what they’re required to do and provide a good service to tenants, however, there are the odd one or two who don’t.
“This new legislation gives us extra powers to deal with those landlords, we just issue the penalty notice and the money comes back to the local authority.”
The new policy will have no effect on compliant landlords, and it is hoped that the new penalties will act as a deterrent to any landlords not following standards.
The civil penalties are also necessary to keep up to date with changing legislation.
Mr Gell added: “A few months ago the Government introduced new regulations which mean that for the first time landlords have to provide an electrical safety certificate.
“But the penalty for non-compliance with that is the civil penalties action, so we need this policy to be able to apply to that.”
Councillor Philip Owen, councillor for Nuthall East and Strelley, has said: “The new policy allows the council to impose sanctions on those landlords who fail to provide safe electrical installations which is of paramount importance for the well-being of tenants.
“In addition, the Council can impose a penalty on any landlord who fails to respond to an improvement notice. It is anticipated that the adoption of this updated policy will give better protection for tenants.
“The Council and all councillors are determined to ensure the best possible living conditions for private sector tenants.”
