Ashfield District Council has received a £35k grant from Government to target "rogue landlords" in the district.
The funding has been spent on "introducing technology improvements that will improve methods of communication and data collection".
The council state that "the revised Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) regulations across the country led to a five-fold increase in the number of larger HMO’s needing to be licenced in Ashfield".
HMOs are residential properties where common areas such as kitchens and living rooms and are shared by more than one household.
Whilst a large proportion of landlords have complied with the requirements, the council say they "continue to identify unlicensed HMO’s, including new HMO’s opening that need to be brought within the requirements".
Whilst a large proportion of landlords have complied with the requirements, the council continue to identify unlicensed HMO’s, including new HMO’s opening that need to be brought within the requirements.
Councillor Tom Hollis, cabinet member for housing said “We have worked hard to tackle rogue landlords in the district. We want to ensure that all residents living in HMO’s have a home that is safe.
“Investing in technology like this not only makes it easier for landlords to apply for the relevant licence, but allows us to better regulate who is not complying and prosecute as necessary.
“The council takes the rogue landlords very seriously. We will, and do prosecute those who think they can get away with putting people’s lives in danger.”
The council states that it "takes a pro-active approach to enforcement action against those landlords who continually fail in the duty to maintain and manage their homes properly".
Within the last 12 months, Ashfield District Council have successfully prosecuted three landlords. Civil penalty notices have been issued for the first time with the first two landlords paying a fine of £12,500 for failing to obtain the correct licence.
The council are also concluding their "first enforced sale of a property that did not comply".
Landlords can now apply online for the relevant licence, saving money in processing times and better targeting those that flout the law.
The successful bid of £35k was received from Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
