Housing experts call for clampdown on rogue landlords

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Housing experts have called for minimum standards to be better enforced in the private rental market to stop landlords exploiting vulnerable tenants.

The Chartered Institute of Housing and the Resolution Foundation said rogue landlords must face stricter sanctions.

In a report, they also called for tax incentives for those performing well to encourage them to reinvest profits from rents in improving their properties.

The National Landlords' Association has backed the recommendations.

It agreed that unscrupulous landlords should be driven from the market.

The Chartered Institute of Housing, which represents housing professionals, and the Resolution Foundation, which campaigns for better living standards for low to modest income families, said a third of privately-rented homes failed to meet modern standards.

Grainia Long, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing, said landlords needed to meet their obligations.

"These are people's homes we are talking about," she said.

"I want to see a situation where all landlords understand their obligations, meet their obligations, and are committed to professional standards."

In their report, published on Saturday, the institute and the Resolution Foundation called for more effective enforcement of minimum standards.

'Drive them out'

They said the number of privately-rented homes in England had doubled over the past 15 years and that some landlords were exploiting vulnerable tenants' lack of options.

The rapid rise in property prices had left people who could no longer afford to buy a house increasingly reliant on private landlords, they said.

Supporting their calls, Richard Blanco from the National Landlords' Association said the organisation would welcome a tougher action against exploitative landlords.

"Landlords run businesses and anything that encourages us to reinvest our profits or improve our properties is to be welcomed," he said.

"Rogue landlords ruin our reputation and we want to drive them out."