| MP Targets 'Bed-sit Land' Improvements |
| Friday, 11 April 2008 | |
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Southport's MP John Pugh is calling on local people to get involved in the drive to improve what has been termed "Bed-sit land". In some parts of the town Southport's stock of Edwardian and Victorian houses have fallen into a sad state of disrepair, with the once proud facades of these grand-old homes now betraying the neglect the properties have suffered from for decades.
Many of these houses have now been converted into several small flats, which means they should be subject to Government regulations concerning 'Houses in multiple occupation' - in theory. The reality however is that many tenants are unaware of the new laws, and Sefton don't always have the resources to enforce them. According to John the result is that some landlords are flaunting these regulations - and putting tenants lives at risk as a result: "The Government brought in this scheme after it was found that the annual risk of death in a 3 storey bedsit was over 16 times higher than a corresponding single occupancy house - the practice of cramming in as many people as possible into these houses wasn't just having a detrimental effect on the communities they occupy, it was putting peoples lives in danger." "The new rules require landlords to adhere to a certain level of management and amenity standards. Adherence to these standards is of benefit to everyone; they prevent properties falling into a state of neglect, they require landlords to take responsibility for the behaviour of their tenants, they improve the quality of life of people living in these properties, and - most importantly - they help safeguard tenant's lives in the event of an emergency. There's also a "fit and proper person" criteria for landlords, so those people who have abused the system in the past - the small minority who are responsible for so many of the problem houses - can be prevented from renting out these properties in the future. "All this only applies however if the rules are being enforced, and unfortunately I'm not convinced that this is the case in Southport." The MP claims that though Sefton simply don't possess the resources to inspect every property on a regular basis, they will be able to investigate those houses 'flagged up' as being in breach of the rules by the local community. "Local people can speed the process along by alerting the Housing Authority to problems before properties deteriorate and fall into disrepair" said the MP. "Every property that has 3 or more storeys (including basements), and 5 or more occupants across 2 or more households which share certain amenities needs to be licensed. If such a property isn't licensed, then the landlord is breaking the law. "It's only a minority of landlords who are abusing the system, and local people can help the council identify these people. The rules are in place to improve the standard of these grand old properties, they simply need to be enforced. "The sooner the houses in breach of the rules are identified, the quicker they can be brought up to the standard required by law - to the benefit of both the tenants living within and the wider community. "The sad state of some of these houses are in is something which is regularly brought to my attention. If the community can help identify which houses are breaking the law, then the council can hold those responsible to account - I will make sure of that." |