Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced that councils will be given the power to seize properties from rogue landlords who refuse to improve the quality of the homes they rent out. The measure was unveiled during his Labour Party conference speech in Liverpool on Tuesday, his first since becoming Prime Minister.
Warning and confiscation plan
Dodgy landlords will receive a warning about the state of their property and, if they fail to act, the local authority will be able to confiscate the home. Mr Burnham told delegates and activists: “Go to almost any town across Britain, and you will see plenty of empty homes.”
“We will give councils the power to take control of them and bring them back into the public housing stock,” he said. “You will see rented homes in a poor state of repair too, on so many British streets, homes which harm the health of the people inside and drag down the streets around them.”
Ending neglect by absent landlords
Mr Burnham highlighted the issue of absent landlords who are paid through the benefit system but refuse to reinvest in upkeep. He said: “The worst of it – often owned by absent landlords who are paid through the benefit system but refuse to reinvest anything in the upkeep of the property. It is time to call an end to this.”
“Landlords who rent out the worst quality homes will be given warnings to improve them. If they refuse, we will make it much easier for councils to acquire those homes – and we will legislate if necessary,” he added.
Broader policy agenda
In his speech, Mr Burnham laid out plans for housing, energy, water, care service and electoral reform. He announced a tweak to the pensions triple lock to help fund a National Care Service, with pensions set to rise either by CPI inflation or a minimum of 2.5%, removing the link to average earnings from April 2030.
The Prime Minister also said the Labour Party would fight the next election on a promise to introduce a form of proportional representation, announcing a national commission on electoral reform.
