A trio of Derbyshire councils have been allocated £1.21 million to crack down on poor quality properties in the private rented sector.
The government’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities approached Derbyshire Dales District Council in September this year.
The council then got in contact with neighbouring councils – Amber Valley Borough Council and Erewash Borough Council – to widen the scope of the project.
Each council will look to identify geographical areas with the highest proportions and numbers of private rented properties that aren’t up to scratch.
Tim Braund, Derbyshire Dales’ director of regulatory services, said: “While there is still considerable detail to be worked out, this is an exciting partnership project.
“To make a significant impact on the private rented sector across the three authority areas we think it’s reasonable to aim to inspect around 500 properties per authority per 12 month period of the study.
“The funding will pay mainly for project management, staffing and associated costs, with Derbyshire Dales - which has a relatively high proportion of older properties in the private rented sector - being the lead authority.”
The study will look to build an understanding of what is needed to bring private rented properties up to the proposed Decent Homes Standard, and how landlords respond to enforcement.
The allocated cash comes from a £14 million fund launched by reappointed housing secretary Michael Gove last month, which forms part of a plan to test new approaches to tackling rogue landlords in seven areas.
Paul Maginnis, lead member for health and wellbeing at Erewash Borough Council, said: “The funding will enable the council to prioritise tackling poor quality private rented sector properties in the borough, and help us to build an understanding of what is needed to bring private rented sector properties up to the proposed Decent Homes Standard.”
