Listening Panel: Housing in Freemantle
May 2008
Key issues raised
Contacting the Council
One issue that came across very clearly at the Panel was that residents were often not clear about who they should contact from the Council if there were persistent problems with neighbours playing loud music late at night or overfilling their bins. The Council does have services for each of these problems, but trying to work out who to call is often more difficult than it should be. So I agreed to put together a brief list of who you can call from the City Council to deal with different types of environmental or anti-social behaviour problems- you can find the list at the end of this report.
I have also produced a more extensive guide on the law it how it can help you deal with anti-social behaviour in your neighbourhood. You can download it here. If you would like a copy of this booklet, please contact my office and I will send you one for free.
‘Distant’ landlords?
Residents raised questions around the problem of landlords who buy a property in Southampton but who do not live in the area. There was a feeling that it was very easy for landlords who did not live in Southampton to become detached from the community in which their property is located. Residents were concerned that this kind of disconnect can lead to houses rented out by ‘distant’ landlords becoming run-down, which in turn has a knock-on effect to the rest of the street.
The government has brought in a new law which has somewhat changed this situation. Ever since the 2004 Housing Act was came into law, landlords of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) which are over 3 storeys and housing more than 5 people are required to be licensed by the Council, and the names and addresses of the landlords placed on a register accessible to the public. If a landlord is not licensed, their tenants can refuse to pay them rent. Compulsory licensing means there is now a mechanism for landlords to be held to account if they do not keep their property in a decent condition, or if they do not take reasonable steps to limit anti-social behaviour that their tenants are shown to be responsible for. Landlords who fail to meet these responsibilities can have their license revoked and lose their legal right to rent out their property.
Whilst I believe this is a step in the right direction, one of the problems in Southampton is that many HMOs are smaller than the legal requirements for landlord registration. That is why I am currently lobbying the Council to apply to the government for powers to institute a licensing regime on all HMOs in the city irrespective of size. Councils can apply for this power under the 2004 Housing Act, but so far Southampton has chosen not to do so. I believe we need this more comprehensive licensing scheme in order to properly regulate the types of shared rented housing that predominate in our city.
Contact information
Private Landlords
Residents can get information on who is the landlord for a particular House in Multiple Occupancy (assuming the landlord is licensed) by calling the Council’s Private Sector Housing Team on 023 8083 2735.
Noisy neighbours
If you are having problems with noisy neighbours and it is after 9pm, call the Council’s Out of Hours Noise Service on 023 8023 3344.
Rubbish & pests
The Council’s Public Health Team deals with all types of domestic noise problems (during the day), as well as problems of rubbish, pests or drainage. Their number is 023 8083 2531.
What do you think about this story? Email Alan