The shocking joint investigation by the Guardian and ITV News into the emergence of slum-like housing conditions in England exposes the seamy underbelly of modern prosperity: convicted rogue landlords are allowed to continue renting out homes, and tower blocks owned by foreign owners rake in profits from publicly funded rents – while tenants suffer potentially dangerous housing conditions. For too long politicians have ignored the needs of private renters, preferring light regulation of landlords. This is a mistake. Declining home ownership and a shortage of rented social housing have seen a surge in the number of people renting privately – particularly families with young children. This has resulted in an unequal and unfair housing market. Fewer people have any properties and more have many. Housing has been allowed to become a publicly funded financial asset for overseas investors. As a society we have failed to provide decent, secure and affordable homes – particularly for those on low incomes.
Ministers need to change their mindset to address widespread market failures. It is hard to explain why there is a growing waiting list for social housing and a rise in homelessness when 200,000 homes stand empty. Last year Theresa May pledged to take “personal charge” of government plans to fix the UK’s “broken” housing market. Twelve months on, her government has been pusillanimous in its attempts to do so. Unbelievably, there is currently no minimum standard that properties have to meet before they are let. After six months the new rogue landlord database remains empty. Why have ministers made it so difficult to issue banning orders to put landlords and their agents out of business? It is ludicrous that properties belonging to landlords featured in the investigation, who failed a “fit and proper” test in parts of the country, could continue to let out properties elsewhere.
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