The MP proposed bill would force landlords to identify themselves on the council tax registration forms of a rental property.
The Draft Local Government Finance (Tenure Information) Bill would give councils the power to obtain the landlords details on a property.
The Draft Local Government Finance (Tenure Information) Bill would give councils the power to obtain the landlords details on a property.
Existing law means tenants are entitled to know the name of their landlord when signing a tenancy agreement, but he new bill would force this information to be shared with the local authority when registering for council tax.
The aim is to make it more difficult for criminal landlords to hide their identify from the authorities.
If a tenant refuses or is unable to identify their landlord a local authority would be enabled to seek the owners identity using Land Registry data.
MP Angela Watkinson believes the proposed bill has strong cross party support.
If a tenant refuses or is unable to identify their landlord a local authority would be enabled to seek the owners identity using Land Registry data.
MP Angela Watkinson believes the proposed bill has strong cross party support.
Er, anyone can ALREADY obtain copies of HMLR title entries.
ReplyDeleteSo a local authority needs no new enablement.
Many local authorities already do this; for the ones that don't, isn't this more of a training/best practice type of issue, rather than something worth taking up valuable Parliamentary time?
ReplyDeleteAlthough I believe recording the landlord on council tax applications IS a very good idea, this still won't touch the REAL rogue landlords, who let to "ghost" tenants and lodgers, who often don't pay council tax anyway.
I believe the best gatekeepers for helping to prevent rogue landlords from setting up in the first place are not the local authority, who can be sidestepped, and who often don't have the resource to chase rogue landlords, but letting agents (including any organisation that carries ads for accommodation) and mortgage providers, plus the DWP as such people often claim benefits while illegally housing lodgers in their homes.