CIEH calls for sustained funding for housing enforcement in evidence submitted to Commons committee

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has called for sustained funding for enforcement of the provisions of the Renters’ Rights Bill in written evidence submitted to a House of Commons select committee.

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee is conducting an inquiry into housing conditions in England.

The Government claims additional burdens on local authorities that result from the reforms in the Renters’ Rights Bill will be fully funded. CIEH is highlighting that this funding must be sustained and predictable and must permit local authorities to attract new staff and fund their training.

CIEH is also calling for the introduction of legislation enabling local authorities operating selective licensing schemes to use licence conditions to improve housing conditions, i.e. the physical state of the licensed properties, and increasing the maximum duration of additional HMO licensing schemes and selective licensing schemes from five to ten years.

The organisation argues that neither the Decent Homes Standard nor Awaab’s Law will remove the need for local authorities to be able to use licence conditions to deal proactively with general disrepair in areas with poor housing conditions.

CIEH is concerned that the enforcement of Awaab’s Law will depend, ultimately, on the ability and willingness of tenants to take direct legal action against their landlords. It says areas with poor housing conditions contain many poor and vulnerable tenants who are particularly badly placed to use legal remedies themselves.

The written evidence can be found here and the organisation’s oral evidence can be viewed here.

Mark Elliott, President of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, said:

“This written evidence, which has been developed through our Housing Advisory Panel, is a substantial piece of work and an important contribution to the inquiry.

“We have raised a wide range of issues about housing regulation in our written and oral evidence and would urge the Committee to consider these issues carefully.

“We will continue to make the voice of environmental health practitioners heard on the need to tackle poor housing conditions.”