Tenants can now take landlords to court over unfit housing

We've all had to rent off horrible landlords, now more power is being handed to the tenants

If you are a tenant, you can now take your landlord to court if they don’t fix damp, mould or any other problems in your home. The Home (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 is coming into force from March 20 which means all social and private landlords in England will be required to comply. The Act, which finished its Parliamentary journey in December last year, was originally introduced by Karen Buck MP. https://twitter.com/KarenPBuckMP/status/1108156337610018816 David Cox, the Chief Executive of ARLA Propertymark welcomed the Act and congratulated for Buck's work to 'provide a better private rented sector for all'. He said: “This new legislation will give renters greater protection against criminal operators and means they will now be able to take direct legal action if their agent or landlord does not comply.” Almost half of the participants who are currently tenants or have rented a home in the UK said in a survey they’ve been injured or suffered illness due to the condition of their homes. The survey was conducted on behalf of London property maintenance experts Aspect. One in five respondents (19.4 percent) told the study that the condition of their homes had caused them stress or anxiety. All new or renewed domestic tenancies from today will apply to the new rules. Existing Fixed-Term Tenancies will fall under the requirements of the Act when they are renewed or become Periodic.