Islington Council recognised for work with landlords

Islington Council has picked up an award in recognition of its work with private sector landlords.

This will be a boost for people looking for property to rent in Islington after it was given the Best Local Authority Landlord Services Award at the UK Landlord Accreditation Partnership Awards.

The council was singled out for praise because of the hard work it puts in to making sure families are able to get a dwelling in the area. It was also given credit for its efforts in returning empty properties to use, licensing homes for multiple occupancy use and negotiating sustainable tenancies.

Councillor James Murray, executive member for housing at Islington Council, noted the private sector offers an "important supply of housing" at the moment because of the shortage of family-sized council-owned properties.

"At a time when the government's welfare reforms are threatening many tenants, the council's work with private providers to sustain tenancies is helping more residents stay in the borough," he added.

The local authority has a dedicated Private Housing Partnerships Team that seeks to offer advice to landlords, agents and residents in an effort to improve the sector. It always seeks to go the extra mile to help its residents.

A drive is also being made to make sure the streets of the borough are kept in a good condition. A major campaign is being launched to try to curb the problem of fouling and it has seen a specialist dog squad created.

Uniformed and plainclothes patrols will be handing out £80 fines for offending owners and they will face a day in court if they fail to pay. Councillor Paul Smith hopes the initiative will tackle "irresponsible" people who live in the community. "There's no excuse for leaving anti-social, unhygienic dog mess on our estates, streets and parks," he added.

Posted by Ben Carter

Published 21st March, 2012

© 2012 Estates IT Limited