According to the data, since 2011, nearly 3,000 landlords have faced prosecution under the Housing Act 2004. In London alone, the data reveals 2,006 individuals and companies in the UK were fined a total of £3,000,000 for housing offences.
Openpropertygroup.com found that it is the millennial generation that have suffered the most from criminal landlords. Over half (62%) of the age group in 'generation rent' have had trouble retrieving their deposit back at the end of their tenancy.
In November 2015, The Guardian suggested millennials should ignore advice and stick to renting, however new survey results suggest they should think again. Shockingly, the majority (51%) of people aged 25-34 surveyed had to take legal action against their landlords or admitted to living in unsatisfactory living conditions.
Figures provided by the Ministry of Justice show that the number of evictions is increasing year on year, rising by 53% since 2010. This is reflected in Open Property Group's own findings, where over half (54%) of millennials surveyed felt that they had been unfairly evicted with another half had in fact had their rented properties sold by their landlord without notice.
Jason Harris-Cohen, Director of Open Property Group, says “thanks to Shelter Housing, there is a renewed focus on landlord prosecution with an additional £5 million to be shared out amongst councils to take action against landlords. Here at Open Property Group, we have teamed up with experts to create an advice guide for those who are renting and in danger of falling victim to seemingly common landlord scams. The graphic, which can be found on our site, is filled with advice from London the City of London Police, Leeds City Council and Advice 4 Renters to help struggling renters.”
To see further results from the survey click here
