There is a need to assist tenants deal with landlords and investors who offer a dangerous or substandard service. The condition of property can have a hugely detrimental effect on someone’s life and if people’s lives are being placed at risk due to the condition of the property, there is a clear need to provide tenants with a stronger level of support and assistance. Therefore, the introduction of a new complaints system has been welcomed with many observers suggesting that the existing complaints scheme isn’t fit for purpose.
It is believed that there are thousands of tenants who are not provided without a proper solution to their issues. There are many tenants across the country who have complex problems and some of these people need to access four separate services just to be able to register a complaint. This is not acceptable in this day and age, particularly with the importance of a happy and health home life to people’s health.
Rogue landlords need to be punished
There are fears that the complex nature of reporting creates circumstances where rogue landlords can act in an unsatisfactory manner. When a landlord doesn’t believe that their actions will lead to punishment, they will act in a manner that causes concern or problems for landlords. Hopefully the new system will prevent this outcome from happening, helping more tenants to enjoy a better quality of life at home.
An eight-week consultation has been introduced by Sajid Javid, the Housing Secretary. The aim of the consultation is to create a system where it is easy to lodge complaints and for disputes to be resolved at a much faster rate. It is also hoped that tenants will be able to gain access to compensation that they are due.
There are problem in the rental market
Some of the biggest problems in the current rental market comes from rogue landlords who provide dangerous homes and overcrowded properties. These homes will often be maintained to a poor standard. The level of demand for property in the modern rental market is one factor that creates the environment where some landlords acts this way and of course, the current insufficient means of cracking down on rogue landlords also creates the situation where some landlords believe it is worth their while to act in a negative manner.
A comparison between the housing sector and the financial services sector outlines the problems that tenants have in dealing with rogue landlords. There is a single ombudsman in the financial services sector but for the housing market, there are dour separate bodies that deal with complaints. It is no wonder that many tenants are unsure of what to do for the best and many tenants have found that they are passed between the bodies without making any progress.
Making it easier for tenants to make a compliant and to make landlords accountable for their actions is important. If these changes are fully implemented, it becomes harder for rogue landlords to operate, which is something that everyone can benefit from. Landlords that operate in a satisfactory manner will also benefit from these measures, so there is a lot of optimism regarding these proposed changes in the rental market.
