Nightmare landlords: 'The rent on our decrepit home went up £75, and then we were evicted'
09-07-2015
More than 125,000 renters have experienced harassment, threats or assault from their landlord in the last year alone
Karen Daye was the victim of an abusive landlord who harassed her in her home and sent her threatening text messages. Photo: Jay Williams
By Nicole Blackmore
When Karen Daye moved into a privately rented home in Swindon last year, it appeared to be in good working order.
But before long she discovered sinking floor boards, loose electric wires near a water leak and a poorly-installed shower that was unsafe to use.
Instead of addressing these issues, the landlord demanded an extra £75 a month in rent, mid-contract, and then evicted Ms Daye when she refused to pay.
Rogue landlords are a serious and persistent problem, according to new research by housing charity Shelter.
It said more than 125,000 renters have experienced harassment, threats or assault from their landlord in the last year alone. Alongside abusive behaviour, renters reported rogue landlords who cut off utilities, entered homes without permission and failed to protect tenants’ deposits.
Shelter warned that a small minority of rogue landlords are causing chaos, and that renters are often unaware of their rights.
The proportion of tenants experiencing such problems is low – under 2pc – but because the private rented sector in Britain is large and growing, the number of people potentially at risk is high, the charity said.
Its findings are based on a survey of 3,792 people, in which 60 claimed their landlord or letting agent had been abusive towards them or another tenant in the last year.
Shelter applied the findings to the English Housing Survey and Census data to estimate that more than 125,000 people had experienced abusive behaviour over the same period.
“Every day at Shelter we speak to people desperate for help because their lives are being made unbearable by a rogue landlord,” said Shelter's Mark Cook.
“Some of their experiences are truly awful – from renters who have been illegally evicted and had their belongings burned, to those who’ve had utilities cut off because their landlord wants to intimidate them.”
A campaign of harassment
Ms Daye, 47, knows all too well what it’s like to be harassed by a landlord.
In February last year she rented a property privately to avoid the additional fees imposed by letting agents. Two weeks after moving into the £725-a-month property, she notified the landlord of a number of safety concerns she had with the home.
But rather than fixing them, the landlord started a campaign of harassment which included sending abusive text messages. This quickly escalated and there were times when he followed her in his car, swore at her and physically assaulted her.
“I lived in the property with my three grandchildren, who were all aged under five at the time, and I didn’t feel safe at all,” Ms Daye said. “The landlord would repeatedly show up unannounced and bang on my door, demanding to be let in. It got so bad that on one occasion I was forced to call the police.
“I signed a year-long tenancy agreement but after six months the landlord said he was putting the rent up by £75 a month. When I refused to pay, he sent us an eviction notice. In the end we were forced to leave over the Christmas holidays – it was no longer safe for us to stay in the property.”
While most private landlords operate lawfully, there are a number that exploit their tenants.
Housing minister Brandon Lewis said the Government has introduced “a range of powers” to tackle rogue landlords, backed by £6.7m of Government funding, which has resulted in nearly 40,000 property inspections and over 3,000 landlords facing enforcement action or prosecution.
"We have made significant progress but we are determined to go even further,” he said. “We are cracking down on those who rent out dangerous, dirty and overcrowded properties.
"We have published a discussion document that sets out our proposals, including a blacklist of rogue landlords and letting agents, tougher penalties for the worst offenders, the extension of rent repayment orders and the introduction of civil penalties."
– nicole.blackmore@telegraph.co.uk
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Nightmare landlords: 'The rent on our decrepit home went up £75, and then we were evicted'
More than 125,000 renters have experienced harassment, threats or assault from their landlord in the last year alone
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When Karen Daye moved into a privately rented home in Swindon last year, it appeared to be in good working order.
But before long she discovered sinking floor boards, loose electric wires near a water leak and a poorly-installed shower that was unsafe to use.
Instead of addressing these issues, the landlord demanded an extra £75 a month in rent, mid-contract, and then evicted Ms Daye when she refused to pay.
Rogue landlords are a serious and persistent problem, according to new research by housing charity Shelter.
It said more than 125,000 renters have experienced harassment, threats or assault from their landlord in the last year alone. Alongside abusive behaviour, renters reported rogue landlords who cut off utilities, entered homes without permission and failed to protect tenants’ deposits.
Shelter warned that a small minority of rogue landlords are causing chaos, and that renters are often unaware of their rights.
The proportion of tenants experiencing such problems is low – under 2pc – but because the private rented sector in Britain is large and growing, the number of people potentially at risk is high, the charity said.
Its findings are based on a survey of 3,792 people, in which 60 claimed their landlord or letting agent had been abusive towards them or another tenant in the last year.
Shelter applied the findings to the English Housing Survey and Census data to estimate that more than 125,000 people had experienced abusive behaviour over the same period.
“Every day at Shelter we speak to people desperate for help because their lives are being made unbearable by a rogue landlord,” said Shelter's Mark Cook.
“Some of their experiences are truly awful – from renters who have been illegally evicted and had their belongings burned, to those who’ve had utilities cut off because their landlord wants to intimidate them.”
A campaign of harassment
Ms Daye, 47, knows all too well what it’s like to be harassed by a landlord.
In February last year she rented a property privately to avoid the additional fees imposed by letting agents. Two weeks after moving into the £725-a-month property, she notified the landlord of a number of safety concerns she had with the home.
But rather than fixing them, the landlord started a campaign of harassment which included sending abusive text messages. This quickly escalated and there were times when he followed her in his car, swore at her and physically assaulted her.
“I lived in the property with my three grandchildren, who were all aged under five at the time, and I didn’t feel safe at all,” Ms Daye said. “The landlord would repeatedly show up unannounced and bang on my door, demanding to be let in. It got so bad that on one occasion I was forced to call the police.
“I signed a year-long tenancy agreement but after six months the landlord said he was putting the rent up by £75 a month. When I refused to pay, he sent us an eviction notice. In the end we were forced to leave over the Christmas holidays – it was no longer safe for us to stay in the property.”
While most private landlords operate lawfully, there are a number that exploit their tenants.
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Housing minister Brandon Lewis said the Government has introduced “a range of powers” to tackle rogue landlords, backed by £6.7m of Government funding, which has resulted in nearly 40,000 property inspections and over 3,000 landlords facing enforcement action or prosecution.
"We have made significant progress but we are determined to go even further,” he said. “We are cracking down on those who rent out dangerous, dirty and overcrowded properties.
"We have published a discussion document that sets out our proposals, including a blacklist of rogue landlords and letting agents, tougher penalties for the worst offenders, the extension of rent repayment orders and the introduction of civil penalties."
– nicole.blackmore@telegraph.co.uk
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