Oxford Lib Dems say Labour is letting dodgy landlords off the hook

12.31.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 8th Oct 2009

Oxford Lib Dems believe that a voluntary scheme for landlords will let the bad ones off the hook

Oxford Lib Dems have attacked Labour's voluntary scheme for landlord accreditation. Cllr Patrick Murray, Oxford Lib Dems Housing Spokesman said: "There is a huge problem with rented housing in Oxford. Dodgy landlords let out poor quality housing and, in some cases, mistreat tenants. Vulnerable tenants, in particular, are at risk, but anyone who's tried to rent a house in Oxford will have seen some shockers along the way."

Cllr Murray added: "When we were running the council we put forward a scheme to have mandatory licensing across all shared houses. This would have covered fire safety, state of the property, gas and electricity certificates, management, and most importantly would have been compulsory for landlords. A voluntary scheme will do nothing- we've been down this route before. All that happens is good landlords and council officers get tied up with paperwork, whilst the bad landlords just ignore the scheme and carry on doing whatever they like."

Steve Goddard, Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesman for Oxford East said the Labour government was trying to bury the scheme. "It's been eighteen months now since the Lib Dem led council bid went in, but the government has ignored it and refused to give the green light so far. This accreditation scheme is clearly political cover for Labour to pretend they're doing something, when in fact it looks like they've caved in to national landlord pressure. They just don't seem to get how bad the problem is."