Housing and Planning Bill

“This Assembly notes that complaints against private landlords in London have risen by 47% since 2008[1]and that nearly a third of privately rented homes in London fail to meet the Decent Homes Standard – by far the worst standards of any housing tenure in Greater London.[2]

This Assembly therefore regrets the Mayor's failure to give his support to an amendment to the Housing & Planning Bill that would have made it a legal requirement for landlords to ensure that the homes they let out are fit for human habitation.

This Assembly believes that at a minimum, homes should be fit for human habitation. We therefore call on the Mayor to reconsider his opposition to this most basic of requirements and to support statutory measures to improve standards in London's private rented sector.”

[1] ‘Rent reform: Making London's private rented sector fit for purpose’, London Assembly Housing and Regeneration Committee, June 2013, p.23

[2] Housing in London database, London Data Store