Last month, Camden Council report released a report outlining the problems faced by some of the tenants living in Camden’s 8,585 HMOs.
This includes homes covered in black mould caused by dampness, defective toilets, faulty electric circuits posing electrocution risks, collapsed ceilings and dangerous sleeping quarters.
The new report on HMOs was drawn up after a six-month consultation and fact-finding mission from the council between December 2013 and May this year, in which officials surveyed landlords and tenants and inspected HMOs across the borough.
Eighty-five per cent of private renters who responded to the survey said the council should do more to improve living standards in privately-rented homes and nine of the 12 landlords who responded to the survey agreed.
In the wake of the report’s findings, council bosses are now considering new rules requiring all landlords to apply for a licence before converting any property into a HMO, regardless of size. But will the tougher legislation improve living conditions in the private sector?
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