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New project to monitor private landlords in Dundee

John Alexander, convener of Dundee City Councils housing committee, says the project is to catch the landlords in between good and bad.
John Alexander, convener of Dundee City Councils housing committee, says the project is to catch the landlords in between good and bad.

A new project which would work with private landlords to improve standards could be launched in Dundee later this year.

Shelter Scotland has secured grant funding from the Oak Foundation for work to promote higher standards in Dundee’s “vibrant” private rented sector through an outreach project based at the city council.

The funds will pay for a private renting support officer to deal with problem landlords if the committee backs a plan at a meeting on Monday.

John Alexander, convener of the council’s housing committee, said: “This is to catch the landlords in between good and bad. At the housing committee we deal with landlords who have breached standards tenants expect, and there are of course many who are incredibly good.

“This new position will seek to address those in between, those who maybe don’t measure up to what we expect but who aren’t doing anything bad enough to appear before the licensing or housing committee.”

The new officer’s remit will encompass all areas of delivering a quality housing product, Mr Alexander added.

He said: “This will deal with landlords not working with their tenants, late repairs or repairs that aren’t up to scratch, and substandard housing in general.

“They will also ensure all landlords are following the letter of the law.”

Mr Alexander continued: “Staff from the unit also work closely with landlords, running regular seminars on areas of interest and providing other help and guidance on issues like repairs and maintenance.”

According to a report by Elaine Zwirlein, director of housing, the focus would be on landlords who are not operating to best practice guidelines but who are not causing enough concern to justify enforcement action.

The project would offer an additional informal way for the council to improve standards.

Work would start in October and run for two and a half years with the private renting support officer engaging with private landlords, developing improvement plans, capturing and evaluating current experience and working in partnership.

The post would be fully funded by Shelter.