Complaints about Landlords up Almost 30%

Complaints about landlords to local councils have increased by 27% in the last three years, a Shelter investigation has revealed.  A freedom of information request submitted to all councils across England showed that more than 85,000 complaints were made in the past year alone.  Of those complaints, 62% were about serious and life-threatening hazards. In 781 cases, private landlord behaviour or neglect involved health services. There were also 487 successful prosecutions against private landlords last year, an increase of 77%. However, they were mostly driven by a small handful of local councils including Newham, Leeds, Salford and Manchester.  Now Shelter is urging supporters to contact their local council to demand they stamp out rogue landlords as an urgent priority.  Read more on the Shelter website.