Over 2.4 million Londoners now live in privately rented accommodation. Too often, private tenants are living with insecurity, high rents, and unacceptable conditions.
The Mayor believes that renters deserve better protection from rogue landlords and agents, and he wants to see a more secure and affordable private rented sector. His powers are very limited to help renters, and so he is putting pressure on national government to make the private rented sector more secure and affordable.
Meanwhile, he has worked with councils across the capital to set up a London-wide Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker, which helps renters by naming and shaming dodgy landlords. All local councils in London have now agreed to put up on the Checker details about landlords they have prosecuted or fined, meaning renters can now check if their potential future (or current) landlord is on there.
The Mayor is supporting local councils to make greater use of their enforcement powers against bad landlords, and the Checker also enables renters to easily report landlords who they think may be breaking the rules, using its handy ‘report a rogue’ tool.
Do I have a rogue landlord?
Here are some of the key things a landlord is not allowed to do:
- enter the property without your permission;
- put your rent up during the term of a fixed tenancy;
- refuse to undertake essential repairs;
- fail to protect your tenancy deposit in a government-approved scheme; or
- evict you without proper notice.
If you're experiencing problems with your private landlord or letting agent, or if you’re new to renting, follow these simple steps to inform and protect yourself:
- Find out more
- More information on your rights is here in the national How to Rent checklist
- Generation Rent have made a Know Your Rights as a UK Tenant guide
- Take action yourself
- Check whether your landlord or agent is on the Mayor’s Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker and if not you can report them here
- Check whether your deposit is registered with a tenancy deposit protection scheme
- Get help from the experts