MPs lead inquiry into rogue landlords and selective licensing

An inquiry is to be held in parliament into how well local authorities are policing rogue landlords and how effective the much-criticised selective licensing schemes have been in curtailing bad practices. Announced by the Communities and Local Government select committee, the inquiry will examine several key issues within the private rented sector including whether councils should do more to provide affordable private rented accommodation, whether they have enough powers to deal with rogue landlords and what’s preventing proper policing of the privately rented homes sector. The Committee will also look at how effective the complaints system is for tenants. The inquiry’s terms of reference are very similar to a key report by the Adam Smith Institute published three years ago, which found that 52% of councils activity promoted the private rented sector through their local plans, but only 2% said it was their top housing priority. Bad landlords “With a big rise in the number of people renting over the last decade, there are real concerns about the ability of local authorities to protect tenants by tackling bad landlords and practices,” says the committee’s Chair Clive Betts MP. “Our inquiry will examine how local authorities can carry out enforcement work…