Unsafe rentals to be cracked down on by Wandsworth
Wandsworth Council says it is “taking decisive action to protect renters” by cracking down on unsafe rentals and “rogue landlords.” Landlords will now have to sign up to a new licensing to legally rent out their properties. The council says its inspectors have “uncovered serious safety hazards and prompted swift action to protect tenants.”
Since launching the borough-wide initiative in July, the council says it has received more than 3,400 licensing applications, including over 1,900 for Additional Licensing, and more than 1,500 for Selective Licensing. Over 110 inspections have taken place, resulting in over 40 formal notices to landlords who failed to meet safety standards.
The scheme targets all Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and Private Rented Sector (PRS) properties in Balham South, Furzedown, Tooting Bec, and Tooting Broadway.
One Putney property was found to have a “dangerously undersized” bedroom and lacked basic fire safety features such as fire doors and heat alarms. The council issued a legal notice requiring the installation of compliant fire doors, alarms, and the removal of obstructions to escape routes. The landlord agreed to all improvements.
Another, a two-storey home with a spiral staircase open to the living room posed “serious escape risks,” leading to the council consulting the Fire Brigade and warning the landlord that unless structural changes were made, the property could be deemed unfit for HMO licensing.
And a six-bedroom property lacked fire doors and had a faulty basement door near utility metres. The council ordered the installation of compliant fire doors as well as the removal of escape route obscrutions.
“These inspections show why licensing matters,” Aydin Dikerdem, Wandsworth Council’s Cabinet member for Housing, said. “The message is clear: unsafe rentals will not be tolerated. These new landlord licencing schemes give us more robust powers to inspect and intervene in cases where landlords are not living up to their duties, providing renters with more support and protecting their rights.”
Wandsworth Council says it “will continue to monitor compliance and carry out follow-up inspections to ensure all remedial works meet the required standards.”
More information on landlord licencing can be found on its website.
For more updates on Wandsworth, visit EyeOnLondon Wandsworth.
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