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Written by rosalind renshaw

All private landlords should be licensed and forced to refurbish their homes to the Decent Homes standard, a leading light of the Labour Party has said.

Kitty Ussher, former treasury minister, in an essay published by the left-leaning Fabian Society, wrote: “All landlords should be licensed and required to raise the quality of their homes to the Decent Homes standard required by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

“If they are unable to do so, they should hand over long-term management of their property to a social letting agency in return for a fixed, lower rate of return.”

Ussher also backed Ken Livingstone’s calls for rent caps, made as part of his bid to become Mayor of London.

Ussher was MP for Burnley, but did not stand in the 2011 election after being caught up in the MPs’ expenses scandal.

Comments

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    Another Job creation for the public sector, why can't everyone be on a database Landlord (already listed on land registry) Property (Same and various other databases) Tenants ???????

    • 10 August 2012 16:58 PM
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    And I propose that all tenants should be licensed and those that trash houses and run away without paying rent should be banned from taking a house from a private landlord.

    They can then go and live in all these 'decent' homes provided by the social letting agency

    • 09 August 2012 12:08 PM
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    This says it all "Ussher was MP for Burnley, but did not stand in the 2011 election after being caught up in the MPs’ expenses scandal."

    • 09 August 2012 10:45 AM
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    The vast majority of Agents and Landlords are of an excellent standard and those of us who comply with the law get battered by more laws and those who dont will just ignore them as usual. Try living in the real world

    • 09 August 2012 10:35 AM
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    Labour = Big Brother and worse

    • 09 August 2012 09:51 AM
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    Pot, kettle and black come to mind. Yet another ill-informed politician making comments that seek to paint the whole private landlord industry as some kind of thief or villain. Without private landlords the country's housing stock would be appalling. Where were all these Labour Party Housing experts when they were in power?

    • 09 August 2012 08:51 AM
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