Tenants may soon be able to sue for properties not meeting basic standards

So if I understand this correctly, this will now offer the potential of giving an army of lawyers, the unique opportunity, to turn on the PRS and tie most landlords up in knots of litigation.

It all sounds so noble, but I have found that when you have to defend yourself against a spurious claim, the tenants solicitor not only attacks the reported fault, but also goes for uncompleted or omitted administrative bits of paperwork also.

Most so called accidental landlords won’t stand a chance.

For example: a tenant falls off his bed changing a lightbulb.
He didn’t use the step ladders, left at the property.

You will need the following.
1. Risk assessment for the step ladder he did or didn’t use.
2. An inspection of the step ladders each year to be certified.
3. A training book signature showing that the tenant has received relevant training in both using a step ladder and changing a lightbulb.
4. Planning permission for appropriate use of the property for rental purposes.
5. A gas safety certificate covering the period of the accident, plus the previous years.
6. A legionaries risk assessment
7. Training for changing a lightbulb and it’s recycling.
8. A certified inventory of the light bulb originally working.

You will then be given the opportunity to put right the works within a suitable period, a list of the medical professionals that your tenant intends to use to substantiate their claim and their approximate costs for reports or to “Settle” out of court.

Now you may think that this is where it ends, but it then moves on to the commission of your own solicitor to defend your case.

In the meantime your tenant is now off work with his bad neck and permanent scarring of his head that hit the wall as he fell.

This will easily be in about the £3500 mark, followed by his doctors bills of £1800, plus his solicitor charge of £3500, plus compensation of about £3000, plus money for potential future claims of epilepsy caused by trauma of the fall.

Now then Mr & Mrs amateur landlord, how are you feeling about your industry now or more importantly about this private members bill.

The only landlords able to comply and match the system will be big corporates and landlords with decent liability insurances.

What about you?

RLA=clueless

Can see it now ! - Tenant is behind on rent, or, is being evicted via Sec 21 ( whilst it still exists ) for a variety of reasons.
Out comes a counter claim for a crack in the skirting board or some other myopic trivia.
Lets be fair, the CFA brigade have nearly milked the PPI cow dry, are already starting on Deposits and this will be another bonus.

All previous measures taken against landlords have been the equivalent to running us over with a steamroller. All this will do will follow that up by reversing the steamroller back over us to make sure we are dead.

If tenants don't like the property, surely they are free to move elsewhere at the end of the tenancy.
Legal action will only cost tenants money they don't have for cases they can't win.

More concerning will be no win/no fee brigade who will invade this space.
Tenant will have nothing to lose by engaging them.

Tenants on benefits who get free legal aid will be the best as they would get away with ridiculous claims where their solicitors and barristers get paid if they win or lose.

If they lose our tax payer money will pay them if they win, the poor landlord would have to pay them. I think Gary's estimate of solicitors fees is being very generously low. Having been involved in landlord/tenant litigation cases, I would say the legal fees would certainly be upwards of £10,000 if the landlord does not give up at an early stage

I don't think this should be for private tenants as they already have the recourse of raising a complaint with environmental health, and as everyone above has said, is potentially allowing rogue tenants a licence to make vexatious claims via "ambulance chasing" solicitors.

However, for social tenants this is a really good thing, as they currently have no voice, as they can't easily complain to their council about its own failings.

Had the residents of Grenfell had such an option, lives might well have been saved. Instead their complaints about fire safety in the building simply fell on deaf ears.

Complete over-reaction by some posters here. Requirements of these laws are not difficult for any landlord who rents decent properties. A level playing field is being created as local authorities, housing associations will have to comply with the basic standards that the majority of private landlords offer. If any landlord doesn't want to provide the basics please sell up and leave the sector. I am irritated by landlords who bring the majority of us into disrepute.

Complete over-reaction by some posters here. Requirements of these laws are not difficult for any landlord who rents decent properties. A level playing field is being created as local authorities and housing associations will have to comply with the basic standards that the majority of private landlords offer. If any landlord doesn't want to provide the basics please sell up and leave the sector. I am irritated by landlords who bring the majority of us into disrepute.