Hull City Council is set to launch a new approach to enforcing safety standards in private sector rental properties in the city.
Legal proceedings brought by the Humber Landlords Association have now been settled on agreed terms with the council.
The council’s new Private Housing Enforcement Policy, agreed by its Cabinet in 2018, will be introduced on Monday 3 February.
If living conditions in privately rented properties are deemed to breach health and safety laws, the new policy enables the council to consider issuing a formal enforcement notice against the landlord to rectify the problem.
Previously, when a housing hazard was first identified, landlords were served with an informal notice, and then if they failed to take action, a formal notice was given. Landlords who fail to comply with a formal notice could receive a considerable fine.
Councillor John Black, Hull City Council’s portfolio holder for housing, said: “Following the conclusion of legal proceedings, the cabinet’s new policy will be introduced as originally planned. Most landlords in the city offer good quality living accommodation which is safe and legal and therefore will be totally unaffected by this change.
“As a council, we have a legal duty to protect tenants in privately rented homes from serious health and safety hazards. From time to time, we see the health risks and misery caused by living in inadequate conditions so I look forward to our new policy helping to promote good health and wellbeing.”
