A FLINTSHIRE councillor is hoping to strengthen the rights of tenants by proposing the creation of a 'Report a Rogue' system for tenants to report landlords who could be breaking the law to the local authority.
Hawarden & Mancot Councillor Sam Swash has tabled a motion to Tuesday's meeting of Flintshire County Council which, if passed, would provide tenants in Flintshire with the opportunity to report landlords who are believed to be breaking the law directly to the Council.
Alongside that, Cllr Swash is also seeking approval for the creation of a publicly available and searchable database of landlords who have been prosecuted, or faced civil enforcement action, for housing offences.
He said: "Tenants in Flintshire deserve the right to know in advance if their prospective landlord has previously broken housing law and been prosecuted. They also need to be given the confidence to report unscrupulous landlords to the Council so that enforcement teams can investigate, take action, and prosecute, if necessary."
Similar 'Report a Rogue' landlord systems have already been launched in Greater Manchester and London. Created by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, London's 'Report a Rogue' system has been used more than 380,000 times since it was launched six years ago.
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Cllr Swash added: "The council should be proactive in carrying out its duty to root out unscrupulous landlords who exploit tenants. By providing these tools to tenants, we will make Flintshire a safer place for people to rent by helping them to find housing with responsible landlords."
"We are finding that more and more people are living in properties that are damp, mouldy, not structurally sound, or suffer from faulty wiring. Often, people feel they have no choice but to accept these conditions because of the cost-of-living crisis and the lack of affordable housing locally. I want those people to feel empowered to report those issues to the Council, so that they can be given the help they deserve."
Councillors will vote on the proposal during the meeting of the Full Council on Tuesday (September 25).
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