October 03, 2011
With the country still reeling from the nationwide riots, the National Landlords Association (NLA) has warned that evicting council house tenants who took part in the mayhem risks shifting the problem of anti-social behaviour into the private-rented sector.
The government’s proposals to evict those council house tenants who participated in the riots have come under fire from members of the public and the opposition.
This week, David Salusbury, Chairman of NLA, voiced those concerns, claiming that the “evictions will simply move these problem tenants into the private-rented sector”.
“There is currently no system in place for private landlords to perform background checks on tenants exiting social housing, leaving them ill-equipped to manage their tenancies effectively,” he added.
“Local Authorities cannot deal with the problem of anti-social behaviour by expecting private landlords to blindly absorb convicted tenants.
The NLA believes it is difficult to see how the government’s controversial initiative will resolve the deeper problem of anti-social behaviour, and the call comes just days after the NLA asked the government to let tenants living in private rented accommodation choose how their benefits are paid to landlords.
“Thirty-five per cent of landlords let properties to recipients of local housing allowance, representing an estimated 420,000 landlords, so it is important that they are considered within this proposal,” added Mr Salusbury.
