Case studies

Work by housing and police officers in visiting targeted properties, talking with the occupants and assessing the conditions uncovered a range of criminal activity and poor conditions, including exploitation, fraud, sham marriages and human trafficking.

The council plan, which is at the consultation stage, includes commitments to take effective action to tackle poor housing conditions and anti-social behaviour in the private sector as well as a focus on adopting a multi-agency approach in, for instance, the Oxford Street neighbourhood. 

Hull has a large private rented sector with concentrations of up to 80 per cent of the stock on some streets being in that tenure.

The private rented sector is the major tenure in the borough with over 40 per cent of households (53,000 households). It has more than doubled since 2003.

Stoke-on-Trent council is highly ambitious and says in its housing strategy that it sees itself as a facilitator of change.

Strategies for the private rented sector focus on improving the quality of the stock, tackling unprofessional landlords and improving stock condition of individual properties. 

Greater Manchester Combined Authority is committed to drive up standards in the private rented sector and make a positive difference to the lives of tenants and landlords.

DASH was set up in 2005 as a joint initiative by local authorities, property owners, landlords and tenants in the East Midlands.

"To date, the council has already found safe accommodation for 14 of the rough sleepers that have been staying at the Great Western Hotel"

On 23 March the Government issued a directive to all councils to temporarily house all rough sleepers during the pandemic to keep them safe. Southend-on-Sea Borough Council placed 89 rough sleepers in hotel and B&B accommodation in just two days and housed a total of 138 across the entire period of lockdown.