Report to the People
18th July 2005
Bringing it Home to Rogue Landlords
I see Irvine Welsh was caught out last
week, condemning the “yuppification” - regeneration to you and I - of Leith,
while living in a luxury flat in a regenerated part of Dublin.
It’s
always easy to pontificate on a subject from a safe distance. Take
the more serious example of rogue landlords.
Living in comfort, far away from the misery their bad tenants are
inflicting on the community, they claim it’s nothing to do with them.
Many
private landlords, of course, are conscientious and do take their
responsibilities seriously. But
there is a selfish minority, who - so long as the money keeps rolling in -
couldn’t care less what their tenants get up to.
Indeed,
when I tackle a bad landlord about the unacceptable (sometimes criminal)
behaviour of their tenants which constituents have reported to me, I’m met
with either, “it’s none of your business” or, “what do you expect me to
do about it?”.
Well,
not for much longer. A crackdown
being put forward by Ministers at Holyrood would let the council take action
against rogue landlords who refuse to try and sort out antisocial behaviour by
their tenants.
It’s
time that the lazy, greedy minority of landlords stopped washing their hands of
the problems they cause. But, so
long as it’s only other families in other towns who suffer, I doubt they will.
The consequences of their actions (or lack of them) need to be brought
home - literally.
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