§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement regarding the harassment of women in private rented accommodation by their landlords; what representations he has received by(a) women individually and (b) women's organisations; if he will list the women's organisations concerned; and what is the total number of complaints he has received.
§ Sir George YoungWe are aware of and deplore this kind of behaviour by a small minority of unscrupulous landlords. It was for this reason that the Housing Act 1988 strengthened the provisions against harassment in the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, to increase protection for all tenants.
Since 1991, we have received a total of 24 complaints from private tenants alleging harassment by their landlords. Of these, five were from individual women, but only one of these implied sexual harassment. No representations have been received from women's organisations.
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has received from women's organisations for dealing with harassment by private landlords; what consultations he has had with(a) women's organisations and (b) private landlords about harassment; and what proposals he has for dealing with harassment of women in private accommodation by landlords.
§ Sir George YoungNo proposals for dealing with harassment have been received from women's organisations, nor have there been any recent consultations on this issue.
Local authorities are empowered to prosecute landlords who harass tenants under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977. Many local authorities have tenancy relations teams to investigate complaints of harassment.