Labour has announced plans to give local authorities greater powers to intervene when rented homes remain in poor condition, including taking control of properties from owners who fail to carry out required repairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The proposal, announced at the Labour conference, focuses on rental properties that ministers say can affect tenants\u2019 health and the condition of surrounding neighbourhoods. The plans would involve changing the law if existing council powers are considered insufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to GB News<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, Labour figures said councils would be supported in taking action against landlords who ignore improvement notices. The announcement was presented as part of a wider housing approach aimed at addressing properties<\/a> considered unsafe or unsuitable for residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andy Burnham said at the Labour conference that some rented homes remained in unacceptable states of repair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “You will see rented homes in a poor state of repair too, on many British streets,” he told the Labour conference on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Homes which harm the health of people inside and drag down streets around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The worst of it, often owned by absent landlords who are paid through the benefit system but refuse to reinvest anything in the upkeep of the property.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Burnham compared standards in housing with regulations covering food safety, arguing that the state already restricts products that can harm public health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “We don’t let people sell food which damages health, so why allow it with homes?” Mr Burnham asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The plans also include measures linked to housing supply, including allowing councils to build on unused public land. Labour has said newly built homes would not be subject to the right-to-buy policy, while people already living in affected properties would not lose existing rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n