Milton Keynes Council promises tough action on rogue landlords and agents

Labour led Milton Keynes Council has today agreed to implement a '˜get tough' approach to rogue private landlords and agents, including the use of banning orders and fines of up to £30,000 for any landlords who breach a banning order.
Milton Keynes CouncilMilton Keynes Council
Milton Keynes Council

Councillor Nigel Long, cabinet member for adult social care and housing said: “We have a problem with some private landlords in Milton Keynes. I believe that the Council should use new measures available under the law to tackle these rogue landlords. They own some of worst maintained homes in Milton Keynes and are a major cause of homelessness locally.”

The council will take action where landlords operate HMOs badly, fail to comply with Improvement notices, have overcrowded property and seek to dispose of property prohibited for sale.

New banning orders will be used, which will be backed up by fines, These measures will be quicker than the current court based prosecution and hit the rogue landlord hard in the pocket.

The Housing and Planning Act 2016 allows Milton Keynes Housing service to take action using new measures.

These include:

Banning Orders which the council can seek to impose on the most unscrupulous landlords. These prevent a particular landlord/letting agent from continuing to operate where they have committed certain housing offences.

Further, the making of a banning order will provide grounds for the making of a management order under s101 of the Housing Act 2004, permitting local authorities to take over the management and letting of the property in question and to keep the receipts of rent generated by lettings.

Once implemented the breach of a banning order can lead to fines of up to £30,000

Councillor Long added: “We are committed to using the new powers of banning orders and fines to tackle rogue landlords and letting agents. We want to work with good private landlords but are committed to dealing with the bad ones who have no place in our new city.”

Also by the Milton Keynes Citizen newspaper: