NHS worker Ellen Nkomo, who dramatically chained herself to the council’s headquarters – telling staff she had been fobbed off for years over housing repairs

• FITNESS for habitation for all housing rental is covered in the Fitness for Human Habitation Act 2018 and covers the dampness referred to in the letter, (Thanks Ellen, for your brave protest over housing repairs, January 27).

The act also covers remedies which for social housing include recourse to the Regulator of Social Housing and the Housing Ombudsman.

These bodies are not really geared for volume; the social housing regulator is mainly concerned with policy and according to its own press release the Housing Ombudsman Service investigated only 130 complaints in a six-month period in 2021.

For private rental property remedies are through the courts and also local authorities who have considerable powers. In practice local authorities enforcement is the most widespread and convenient method.

The private rental sector is subject to market forces at least as far as non-vulnerable tenants are concerned (but see below). Power vested in such tenants is to switch if they are dissatisfied.

Also if there is a defect that has been tabled by a tenant it is illegal for private landlords to issue a no-fault section 21 eviction notice while that is ongoing.

Social tenants do not enjoy such power as the letter writer said revealingly “I’m truly grateful that Camden Council gave me a home…”.

In practice it is far more compelling for private sector landlords to comply because they are otherwise hit financially and reputationally (certainly no other reason is needed).

Local authorities, on the other hand, are monopoly suppliers and the main remedies tenants have really are sadly from the self same local authorities.

The irony will not be lost on your readers that among local authorities throughout the country Camden is a super-enforcer when it comes to bringing the private rental sector to book whereas it should perhaps focus more on its own housing maintenance.

A thought on vulnerable private sector tenants who are more exposed to the experiences of the nature discussed in the letter from the social housing tenant last week, and they also need protection.

Increased cost and regulation in the private rental sector which crosses the political divide as an objective unfortunately has the unintended and tragic consequence of making it more challenging for private sector landlords to house vulnerable tenants.

As costs and regulation increase unfortunately it is the vulnerable who lose out.

ALEX SHINDER
Hampstead Hill Gardens, NW3