The Local Government Association (LGA) is calling on the government to crack down on landlords who convert larger properties into multiple bedsits in order to secure extra Housing Benefit payments from tenants.
Some disreputable landlords have discovered that they can make more money by letting individual rooms in a larger property rather than marketing the house as a family home.
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Many of the conversions are illegal, so vulnerable tenants are squeezed into unsuitable spaces and forced to live in dangerous conditions.
Stronger Penalties Needed
The LGA says stronger penalties should be imposed on rogue landlords and instead of imposing fines, which rarely acts as a deterrent, landlords convicted of illegal conversions should be jailed instead. The ‘lock-down’ model, which is the micro sub-division of properties, has exploded in recent years thanks to ever increasing demand for cheap accommodation.
“No landlord can act outside the law and councils will do everything in their powers to ensure tenants can live in rented properties safe in the knowledge that local authorities are there to protect them,” said an LGA spokesperson.
A Lack of Affordable Housing
Many landlords are taking advantage of the lack of affordable housing in some areas. It’s more lucrative to convert older properties and allow housing benefit tenants to live there. Landlords can request that benefits payments are paid directly to them, so there is no risk of a tenant falling into rental arrears.
The amount of housing benefit paid to private landlords has doubled in the last decade as increasing numbers of people are forced into the private rental sector.
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