Landlord contact information ‘would be helpful’, say inspectors

More than 1,200 housing cases for environmental health since 2015

The department in charge of inspecting the Island’s properties says contact information for landlords would help officers deal with issues ‘more effectively’.

It comes as government is trying to progress a housing bill which would include a register of landlords and introduction of minimum property standards.

There’ve been more than 1,200 cases since 2015 where environmental health have had to deal with housing related requests.

Many requests for help have come from tenants who live in the Island’s growing private rental sector and have problems with the state of the accommodation.

Though cases have led to inspections, reports sent to landlords, and visits to check on repairs, environmental health doesn’t ‘routinely record’ times when it’s been unable to enforce standards.

This due to a policy of resolving issues without using the ‘last resort’ of enforcement.

The environmental health unit, which sits in the Department of Environment Food and Agriculture, assess the standard of houses and flats in both private and public sectors for local authorities.

Introduction of minimum rented property standards is supported by the Office of Fair Trading, which had 61 complaints last year over tenancy matters.

These were on issues such as disputes over returning deposits, lack of repairs, rent increases, the standard of properties and notice periods.

The information came this week in a series of written Tynwald answers to questions by Douglas Central MHK Chris Thomas on a number of housing-related issues.

He asked how many times DEFA has been unable to enforce standards due to a lack of landlord information, and whether those standards should be raised in both public and private sectors.

There are no plans to this, but ‘initiatives to improve energy efficiency are underway’ according to the department, which has paid out £11,000 in grants through a current scheme.

Just £400 was paid out through similar initiatives between 2018 and 2019; previous administrations spent more with £41k given out in 2013-14, £496k in 2008-09, and £313k in 2003-04.

A recent survey on the condition of homes in the private sector showed the Island was lagging behind the UK in energy efficiency ratings.

The report also showed an estimated £70 million would be need to bring the sector up to standard, with 16 per cent of the 35,000 homes falling below legal standards.

Higher levels of disrepair were found in private rentals, where 7,815 households live, a number which has grown by almost 2,000 since 2008.

A consultation on the landlord registration bill closed last month and received more than 200 responses, with the Department of Infrastructure now in the process of finalising the bill.

It includes a mandatory register of landlords, deposit protections, and minimum standards.

Critics, including the Manx Landlords Association, say it places unfair burdens on those who rent out property, and doesn’t cover the issue of problem tenants.

The move has been welcomed by charity Housing Matters, which says it’ll help vulnerable renters, and drive up the quality of some accommodation.