Today, Living Rent Leith branch released a report on the lack of enforcement of landlords by the City of Edinburgh Council.
You can read the report in full here.
Report summary
We found that rather than use the range of enforcement powers available to them to penalise private landlords who are in breach of housing and tenancy law, the City of Edinburgh Council has repeatedly allowed rogue and criminal landlords to continue to operate.
As a result, we are calling for:
Funding and resourcing
Dramatically increase the resourcing for enforcement so that the Council has the capacity it needs to pursue cases properly, including rigorous due diligence on landlord registration applications.
Transparency and accountability
Ensure that the Council’s PRS enforcement work, and the policies and targets that govern it, are subject to meaningful scrutiny by councillors and residents. This must include capturing and reporting information on complaints, enforcement activity, and the application of the ‘fit and proper person’ test.
Proactive enforcement
The Council has a wide range of existing powers to support tenants and tackle rogue landlords, including some that are statutory duties. These must be used to their fullest extent, and it must be clear how tenants can request and receive that support.
Don’t punish tenants for landlords’ failures
Ensure protection for tenants from eviction or other adverse impacts in cases where enforcement action has been taken against their landlords, such as being struck off the register.
Council procurement
The procurement process must ensure value for taxpayer money and high-quality services - we cannot have a repeat of the Council handing millions to a landlord fined for breaches of housing law.
