The rights of those renting from private landlords are still “stuck in the dark ages”, according to a damning new report.
The Citizens Advice Bureau has conducted a study and publishing the findings this month, calling for greater protection for tenants under the law.
Under proposals set out in the Renting Uncovered report, tenants should have the legal right to money back if the property is well below standard.
At present, a landlord is obliged by law to repair a fundamental fault, but they can still actually evict a tenant who pursues the right to repair.
Gillian Guy, the CAB’s chief executive, said this arrangement was well behind the times.
“These days people rightly expect to get their money back if something they pay for is not up to scratch,” she said.
“Private renters can end up thousands of pounds out of pocket when they are let a home which turns out to be unfit to live in.
“We’re calling for a system which provides people with a refund if a private rented home doesn’t meet the most basic standards like safe electrics and being structurally sound.”
A lack of legal protection and a flood of people needing to rent has led to a rising problem of bad landlords retaliating against complaints by evicting their tenant. An attempt to introduce legislation to tackle the practice was blocked by Tory backbenchers a few months ago.
Despite the disquiet, the National Landlords Association (NLA) has claimed that the CAB is judging the entire sector by the actions of a few rogue operators.
Richard Lambert, the NLA’s chief executive, said: “There are times when well-meaning landlords do not respond adequately to their tenants’ needs. In these circumstances, surely education and support are more effective than penalties and demonisation?”