London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 28, 2025

Politicians take aim at ‘rogue landlords’ in London ‘wild west’ of supported housing

Politicians take aim at ‘rogue landlords’ in London ‘wild west’ of supported housing

One shocking case saw two homicides take place in an “inapproporiately mixed accommodation unit”

Rogue landlords operating in the “wild west” of supported housing have been warned by a group of London politicians that their time is up.

Bob Blackman, the Tory MP for Harrow East, told an event in Parliament on Monday that work was under way to hold exploitative landlords to account.

Mr Blackman was speaking at the launch of a new report from the London Assembly, which looks at how rogue housing providers are disregarding their safeguarding responsibilities and in some cases targeting vulnerable Londoners and placing them in unsuitable, dangerous homes.

The report focuses specifically on exempt accommodation - homes in which the usual caps of housing benefit, such as the benefit cap and the Local Housing Allowance cap, do not apply.

Exempt accommodation is generally used to house vulnerable tenants, such as young people with support needs, people leaving hospital, and disabled people - with landlords supposed to provide their tenants with the additional day-to-day help they will need.

But the new report, produced by the Assembly’s housing committee and titled ‘Unsafe and unregulated: London’s rogue supported housing providers’, shows how large numbers of tenants in the sector are being severely neglected by their landlords - who can charge exorbitant rents and know that those rents will be covered by the uncapped housing benefit.

The report reveals a particularly shocking case in Havering, said committee chair Sem Moema.

Sem Moema, chair of the London Assembly’s housing committee

“There were two homicides that took place in a very inappropriately mixed accommodation unit [there], and part of that [problem] is because boroughs just don’t know people are there, until the police show up,” said Ms Moema.

Mr Blackman has put forward a Private Member’s Bill, currently making its way through the House of Lords, which seeks to better regulate the sector.

Mr Blackman said his bill would “tame” the “wild west” of exempt accommodation, adding: “Our aim is very simple. We’re going after the rogue landlords. We want to minimise the impact on the good landlords who do a good job…

Bob Blackman, Conservative MP for Harrow East

“[But] if you’re a rogue landlord, your time is coming to an end, simple as that.”

Jasmine Basran, head of policy and campaigns at the charity Crisis, said: “What we’re really concerned about is we’ve seen a really astronomical growth of landlords who are saying they will support people into safe homes with the additional help they might need, because they might have fled domestic abuse, or left prison, or have mental health support needs.

Jasmine Basran, head of policy and campaigns at Crisis


“Instead of doing that, these landlords are taking the additional money, when they’re meant to support people, and spending it for themselves.

“People are living in really appalling accommodation. We’ve seen people living with mould, in dirty accommodation, but the worst is that they’re also experiencing intimidation and abuse and harassment.

“So these are people who are already vulnerable and then they’re being effectively bullied by their landlords. They’re being exploited. We cannot let this continue.”

A spokeswoman for the Mayor of London said: “The Mayor has long called for more investment [from the Government] in the specialist and supported housing sector and he is grateful that the Assembly's report shines a light on poor quality accommodation….

“City Hall officers are looking at these recommendations in detail and the Mayor will be writing to [the] Government urging them for more investment and support.”

The Government was approached for comment.




Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
×