Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department takes to ensure that landlords are obligated to carry out essential maintenance on private rented property in a timely manner.

Local authorities enforce standards in privately rented homes. If they identify health and safety hazards or poor conditions, they have strong powers to oblige landlords to remedy these. Local authorities can also carry out remedial works themselves in cases where hazards are very serious or where landlords do not comply with enforcement action. We strengthened these powers in 2016 when we introduced banning orders and the rogue landlord database and gave local authorities the power to impose financial penalties of up to £30,000.

We also supported the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, which empowers tenants to take their landlords to court, and extended Rent Repayment Orders. And this month our Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations came into force, providing even more protection against poor conditions.

Of course, the Covid-19 outbreak has meant people are spending more time in their homes, so standards are more important than ever. That’s why we’ve written comprehensive, common-sense guidance for tenants, landlords and local authorities to help everyone ensure rented homes are safe as possible during this difficult time. We have also issued guidance on working safely in people's homes which landlords should take account of when carrying out maintenance work. We recommend that no repair or maintenance work should be carried out in any household which is self-isolating or where an individual is being shielded, unless that work is to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household. We expect local authorities to take a pragmatic approach to enforcement that ensures tenants are kept safe and landlords are supported.