HearFromYourMP

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Private Landlords - a contract with the tenant or with the community?

Posted by Pat McFadden, MP for Wolverhampton South East, at 13:38, Mon 21 June 2010:

Dear Constituent,

I am writing to you because I understand that you have signed up to receiving occasional messages from me as your local MP.

The issue I want to draw to your attention, and on which I would like to hear from you, is private landlords and their responsibilities.

I have no objection to someone buying a buy to let property or indeed more than one, provided they act responsibly. But at surgeries over the weekend I heard a number of complaints from residents who feel they have lost control of their streets and their living environment due to the proliferation of privately let dwellings near them. The feeling of powerlessness among residents, some of whom have lived in their homes for decades, is increased because neighbours don't know the landlords and therefore cannot contact them when things go wrong. Unacceptable behaviour reported to me included stones being thrown at cars, late night parties, firestarting, theft of property, harassment of neighbours and other even more serious offences.

It cannot be right that someone rents out a property or a number of properties, remains unknown to the residents nearby and shows no interest if the tenants then wreak havoc on the local area. The tenants of course have responsibilities to abide by the normal rules of mutual respect and reasonable behaviour that most people take for granted. But the landlords also have a responsibility to try to ensure reasonable behaviour from their tenants. Responsible landlords know this and many would act when contacted about the kind of indicents reported to me but sadly that is not always the case.

The point is that a contract to let a property in this way cannot only be between the landlord and the tenant. It should also be seen to involve the wider community, because they are certainly involved when they are forced to seek their MP's help to try to restore a sense of order in their streets when faced with the incidents reported to me over the weekend.

In the short term I will contact the council and the police about the areas concerned, urge the council to contact the landlords and give feedback to the residents who raised these issues with me.

But in the longer term it seems to me that we need to empower communities more to deal with a situation like this - and that must mean some kind of accessible sanction against tenants and landlords who behave in this way. Responsibility does not end with the signing of the lease. Indeed that's where it should start.

I would like to know your view on this. Please post your views here or write to me directly at mcfaddenp@parliament.uk.

Yours sincerely,

Pat McFadden MP