NLA Wins Government Support over Hull City Council’s “Unfair� Treatment of Landlords

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Private Landlords:

Following a representation from after hearing from The
National Landlords Association, the government has delivered a sharp rebuke to
Labour-controlled Hull city council that it was found to be “unfairly
penalising� private landlords.

Hull City Council has taken an aggressive stance against private
landlords whose tenants report them for an alleged failing in their property.
The Council has been serving them with enforcement notices before they have had
the opportunity to address a tenant’s complaint.

But after hearing about the protests from private landlords
at a meeting with the National Landlords Association (NLA) and Humber Landlords
Association, the Housing Minister Heather Wheeler MP called on Matt Jukes,
chief executive of Hull City Council, to “work with these landlords�.

Hull City Council has introduced the Hull Accredited
Landlords Scheme, whose members are given an exemption from an immediate
council inspection following a report from a tenant. But the NLA told the
minister that there is confusion over the entry criteria for the scheme, which
is free to join and only requires the landlord to attend a one-day training
course on housing health and safety.

In a letter to Mr Jukes, Mrs Wheeler said: “I was extremely
concerned to hear reports that many private landlords in Hull are not fully
aware of, or have misunderstood, the standards they must meet to become a
member of the scheme. It is crucial that you work to bring landlords with you
and are communicating effectively to do so.�

Gavin Dick, Local Authority Policy Officer at the NLA, said:

“Hull City Council has been unfairly penalising landlords.
While it should penalise landlords who don’t provide safe, habitable homes, it
isn’t right that good landlords should be punished before having the chance to
fix any problems they weren’t previously aware of. The vast majority of
landlords want to rectify issues as soon as they arise. Councils must not
tarnish all landlords with the same brush.

“It’s unfortunate that we had to take this matter to the
minister, but we are encouraged that our collective voices have been heard and
Hull City Council now needs to take immediate steps to ensure all landlords in
Hull understand the Hull Accredited Landlords Scheme.�

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