Dispelling myths about private sector housing in Blackhall Colliery

Some time ago we were approached by someone who was quite critical about the role he assumed the council played in housing people in private sector properties in Blackhall Colliery.

His opinion was that the county council was able to direct a private landlord, against his or her will, to offer a tenancy to someone he deemed "undesirable". Because of this mistaken belief he felt that the council was to blame for what he thought was a high rate of "undesirable" tenants in privately owned and rented properties in the village.

We told him that his understanding was incorrect and that landlords in the private sector could decide for themselves, without council interference, who they wished to offer tenancies to. We acknowledged that landlords in the private sector did work alongside the council's housing section but only through the Private Landlord Accreditation Scheme (PLAS) which is entirely voluntary on the part of the landlord.

Naturally we were concerned that some people appeared to believe that the council could force individual private landlords to accommodate what our critical friend termed "undesirable" people, so to put the record straight we contacted the Housing Solutions team at county hall for their advice and we received the following clarification:

I would like to clarify for you and your residents the points raised about private sector properties, which is the same for all areas of the county and is no different for Blackhall Colliery.

The council is not responsible for the condition of any privately owned property. The responsibility lies with the property owner. The council have a duty to inspect any claims of disrepair made by a tenant and serve notice on landlords where appropriate. The tenant must have written to the landlord to request the repairs in the first instance and only where the landlord has failed to carry out the repairs will the environmental health service get involved.

Ongoing development and growth of the Private Landlord Accreditation Scheme (PLAS) is a high priority for Housing Solutions and provides many outcomes:

It ensures positive engagement with private landlords and agents

It ensures a good quality of accommodation for tenants

It provides an arena for negotiation with landlords to sustain tenancies for people in need especially in times of financial hardship

It provides support to landlords to help deal with any issues they may have with their tenants or managing their tenancies as a whole.

It helps the authority prevent homelessness

It helps the authority discharge their homelessness duty, and

It provides confidence to tenants that their landlord operates professionally

The scheme offers benefits to landlords, tenants and communities as landlords sign a code of practice which includes their management practices, property condition and their good character.

When people present to Housing Solutions as homeless or threatened with homelessness the council have a duty to source accommodation for them and we utilise the accredited LA properties for this as the properties have been inspected by the private sector initiatives officers prior to being let.

Accommodating customers into the private rented sector is nothing new to the council. The difference is we now utilise properties available through PLAS rather than non-accredited landlords.

As always the decision of who to house is that of the landlord not the council and the council have no duty to prevent a landlord housing a tenant. At best we work with them and offer advice.

I have checked our records and since 1^st January 2017. Housing solutions have helped two people to be housed in Blackhall Colliery. In the same period of time we have received only two reports of anti-social behaviour relating to private sector tenancies and they are not the people we have helped to house.

Hopefully the information received from the housing department will dispel some of the myths currently circulating our villages about the council's powers in relation to private sector tenancies.

Finally we would like to make it clear that in our experience the vast majority of private sector landlords are responsible and reputable, with most reacting quickly to reports of disruptive tenants or untidy properties. Sadly the tiny minority of irresponsible (and often absent) landlords has a disproportionately negative and disruptive impact on our community. The PLAS, currently optional for the landlord, is intended to rectify this situation.

If you would like further clarification, please don't hesitate to contact us in the usual way.