Aug

Official ‘repairs tool’ launches to help tenants fight landlords and agents

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The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has launched a tool that helps tenants take on landlords or letting agents who are failing to repair or maintain properties to the required standard.

Called ‘How to get repairs done in your rented home’ it takes those renting privately through a Q&A and then tells them how to either contact their local council, get more information about their rights or seek legal aid to take their landlord to court.

HFIS mediation expert Julie Ford (picture) says this tool, which is hot on the heels of a new free court service that offers tenants but not landlords help when fighting evictions, is part of a trend.

“It feels like the Gov are sneaking these new tools under the radar on purpose – it is all becoming very ‘pro-tenant’ with a stealth-like advance following on from [the Government’s] recent anti-landlord rhetoric”,” she says.

The new MoJ tool takes tenants through approximately ten questions depending on their circumstances to find out if they are subject to a ‘revenge eviction’ after requesting repairs, whether their health has been affected, how urgent the problem is, whether they are at risk of eviction and whether they’ve stopped paying the rent – something the MoJ advises them not to do.

Although the MoJ website doesn’t say so, it’s clear the initiative is part of the Government’s attempts to improve conditions within both the private and public housing sectors following the tragic death of toddler Awaab Ishaak last year, who lived in a council home affected by mould and whose landlord had failed to maintain the property adequately.

Read more: how to tackle mould if you're a landlord.

Sean Hooker (pictured) who heads up the Property Redress Scheme, says: “This could be a useful tool to help tenants access the help they need.

“But it has launched with little fanfare during the holiday period, so it needs some serious publicity to be effective.

“While it signposts a tenant to where they can get help right now, what is needed is for the plans to set up a private rented sector ombudsman and redress for repairs to be put in place as quickly as possible.”