Threshold slams lack of standards for rented dwellings
The housing organisation Threshold has attacked the Government for failing to impose proper minimum standards for private rented accommodation.
In its latest annual report, the organisation says it received 785 complaints from tenants living in sub-standards conditions last year, up from 386 in 2004.
The complaints ranged from rat and mice infestations to a lack of central heating and cooking facilities.
Threshold says the current legislation dealing with the situation is weak and outdated and doesn't even require landlords to provide heating and cookers.
It is demanding new laws and minimum standards that are appropriate for the modern era.
