Site allows private renters to search records of past offences and file reports of bad practice
Credit: Paul Wilkinson/CC BY 2.0
All 33 local authorities in London have signed up for mayor Sadiq Khan’s online database of rogue landlords.
The online tool allows private renters to check if prospective landlords or lettings agents have ever been successfully prosecuted or given penalties in relation to housing offences. The councils representing London’s 32 boroughs and the City of London have committed to providing records for inclusion in the database.
The site is already populated with information from 10 authorities, with data from the remaining 23 to be added in due course.
The London Fire Brigade also provides information, as do the UK’s three letting agent redress schemes: The Property Ombudsman; The Property Redress Scheme; and Ombudsman Services – Property.
Related content
- Mayor launches £7m digital-skills scheme for women and BAME Londoners
- Transport for London looks to data to improve services and cut congestion
- Sadiq Khan appoints Camden councillor as London’s first chief digital officer
As well as being able to search records, the online checker also provides the capital’s 2.4 million private renters with a reporting tool for filing complaints about landlords or agents.
“With all local authorities signed up, we have reached an important milestone in protecting London’s renters,” Khan said. “The rental market in the capital is difficult enough to navigate without a small minority of rogue operators exploiting their tenants. This tool will empower Londoners to make an informed choice about where to live.”
The rogue landlord checker was first launched in December with the support of 10 London boroughs. The mayor claims this is the first such tool to be made available to the public.
In addition to the publicly available records, the site also contains a private database where councils and the London Fire Brigade can share extra information about offences.
The brigade’s assistant commissioner for fire safety Dan Daly said: “Now that all boroughs have signed up, it means every Londoner who rents, wherever they live, will be able to find landlords and letting agents who have been successfully prosecuted or faced civil enforcement for housing offences, including those prosecuted by us for fire safety breaches. It should also act as a deterrent for the small number of dishonest landlords who pose a large risk to their tenants.”
