The government has amended the Renters Rights Bill to allow no-notice council inspections of private rental properties.
The amendment removes the current requirement for local authorities to give landlords 24 hours’ notice of an inspection of a residential property.
The 24 hours’ notice requirement for tenants will remain. Notice to the landlord will now be provided after the entry has taken place.
Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, the minister leading on the Bill in the Lords, told peers during the debate earlier this week: “Local authorities have told us that providing notice can result in unscrupulous landlords hiding evidence of breaches, intimidating tenants, and temporarily fixing issues before reverting to non-compliance.”
Because the amendment comes from the government it will almost certainly be agreed by the House of Commons when the Bill returns to that house next week – so it will then appear in the Act.
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has welcomed the move and Mark Elliott, institute president, comments: “We have raised this issue with parliamentarians through our submissions on the Bill and as an agenda item for a ministerial meeting.
“The current requirement provides an opportunity for the landlord to appear at the inspection, which can be an intimidating experience for the tenant making the complaint.
“Local authorities should be able to conduct such visits without giving the landlord 24 hours’ notice, permitting private conversations with the tenant before the local authority contacts the landlord to notify them if works are required.”
This article is taken from Landlord Today