1 In 4 Rental Homes Fail Standards
Around one in four private rented homes are failing to meet the Decent Homes Standard, a survey reveals.
The research from VeriSmart highlights that the national guidelines cover hazards which means millions of people are living currently in unsuitable privately rented properties.
The findings reveal that around 4.5 million homes, or 19.5% of the total, are failing to meet the standard - that's the lowest proportion since 1967 when the number of non-decent homes stood at 13%.
Most dangerous type of rental property hazards
Researchers used the English Housing Survey for their findings and found the most dangerous type of rental property hazards are for falls and fires.
They also say that tenants falling on stairs, on a level and also between property levels account for three of the top hazards with fires in fourth place.
The most hazardous rental property type is converted flats with 21% of these homes likely to contain hazards and private homes are the next most dangerous with 14%.
The chairman of VeriSmart, Jonathan senior, said: "The figures are worrying, with one in five homes being substandard as far as costs, safety and other measures are concerned.
"Some landlords may worry about the costs to fix their property to meet the required standards but when these properties fall below expectations, then safety has to take priority."
He added the researchers also looked at the number of accidents in rental homes and found many involve children and some lead to fatalities.
RLA and NLA to merge
Meanwhile, it's been revealed that two of the largest landlord organisations are to merge in a bid to create one body with a stronger voice representing landlords in the private rental sector.
The merger of the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) and the National Landlords Association (NLA) will see the creation of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA).
The new body will have 80,000 landlord members who are managing around 500,000 properties. That's 10% of the private rental sector.
In a joint statement, the two chairs, the NLA's Adrian Jeakins and the RLA's Alan Ward, said: "After 20 years of friendly competition, it is the right time for creating one organisation to campaign and represent landlords.
"We will be stronger together and present a unified voice to government both locally and nationally about the importance of supporting landlords who do a good job providing homes for rent."
