Houses of Multiple Occupation Statistics for Cambridge

The request was partially successful.

Dear Cambridge City Council,

As the Council acknowledges that the majority of landlords are responsible. I would like to see clear evidence that this is the case. I would like to request under FOI:

I would like to know the total amount of HMO's within Cambridge for the last 5 years. Showing each year so I can see whether HMO's are increasing in number year on year.

Compare them to complaints at those properties from tenants year on year to see if the number of complaints are increasing overall.

And also compare this to the number of complaints against these properties.

Finally, compare number of illegal HMO's identified year on year.

My outcome would be to understand if HMO's are increasing in number in the city. Are complaints against living conditions and landlords increasing. Are complaints against these HMO's increasing. And, are illegal HMO's growing in number.

Yours faithfully,

Leigh Robinson

Leigh Robinson left an annotation ()

Background to the request can be found here:
http://leighdrobinson.wordpress.com/

Richard Lord, Cambridge City Council

Dear Leigh Robinson

Thank you for the Freedom of Information Act request which has been passed to me to respond to. The deadline for a response is Date due 21 May 2012.

As the Council acknowledges that the majority of landlords are

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Richard Lord
Team Leader- Housing Standards
Refuse and Environment Service
Environment Department
Cambridge City Council
PO Box 700
Cambridge
CB1 0JH

Tel: 01223-457957
email: [email address]
www.cambridge.gov.uk

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Richard Lord, Cambridge City Council

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Robinson,

I have attached the answer to your FOI request.

If you need any further assistance please contact me.

Kind regards



Richard Lord
Team Leader- Housing Standards
Refuse and Environment Service
Environment Department
Cambridge City Council
PO Box 700
Cambridge
CB1 0JH

Tel: 01223-457957
email: [email address]
www.cambridge.gov.uk

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e-mail?

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lotus left an annotation ()

What is a grey area in Mandatory and voluntary HMO licensing is that the occupants must be qualifying, i.e. they are not under exemptions such as trespassing, homelessness, refugees, students, or anyone with a permanent address elsewhere.

Failure to hold a Mandatory HMO license is not a criminal offence unless the lives are put at risk or injury is caused to the occupants.

The scam is that where an occupant falls pregnant or loses their job and is not paying rent, the local council is not very keen to provide housing and would rather deal with the complaint made by the occupant when making application for housing. Hence most complaints are from people who are being used and abused by the Councils...with the landlords caught in the middle.

This is a very common occurance...the occupants get used by the councils...to give false witness statements, damage the property and the landlords get fined tens of thousands of pounds after false complaints are made.

The question to ask is how much has each council in the UK collected in HMO licensing fines from landlords, and how many landlords have gone bust as a result, causing even more homelessness, and how many of the complainants had made applications for housing to the council.

Councils have got to stop this scam as it is against public interests and against public service, its immoral and unethical...also criminal to pervert the course of justice to extort fines by falsifying witness statements and photographic evidence after occupants are made to cause criminal damage in the properties.

The Housing Act and the Houses in Multiple Occupation Regulations do not come under Criminal Law, yet prosecutions are being made in magistrates courts and Crown Court. Landlords do not have time or money to defend themselves and end up paying extortionate fines without any basis in law.