Brighton and Hove City Council is the largest landlord in the city, with 12,588 residential properties let to council tenants.
It has recently discovered that more than a quarter of these properties do not meet the “decent homes” standard (The Argus, January 21).
If these same properties belonged to private landlords, the council would no doubt now be issuing a multitude of notices – with the threat of court action unless these properties are improved to a decent standard.
What would the private landlord do? Most would try to raise bank loans to improve their properties, or perhaps increase rents to help fund improvements – but not the council. Instead the cabinet member for housing, Councillor Maria Caulfield, is chasing £5m of grants from central Government to improve the council’s properties.
The money includes £2.2m for rewiring and replacing doors, £750,000 for heating and £2m for new buildings.
It raises the question: if the largest local landlord in the area is unable to fund necessary repairs from its rental income, then how can the private landlord – who is unable to procure such help from the Government?
Charles Holcombe
Roedean Crescent, Brighton
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