Crackdown on rogue landlords overcrowding homes announced by Government

New licensing measures could hit landlords renting out 160,000 properties

The new rules also set out minimum bedroom sizes in multiple-occupancy properties (Getty)

New measures to crack down on rogue landlords who let overcrowded homes have been announced by the Government.

Under one component landlords renting properties with five or more tenants from two different households would for the first time need to be licensed.

Ministers also signalled new space standards for housing of multiple occupancy and set out details of criminal offences that will bar someone from becoming a landlord.

It comes as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn used an exclusive interview with The Independent to announce a sweeping pledge to scrap “no fault” evictions, which allow landlords to kick tenants out of their properties without a reason.

Under the Government’s plans, landlords of some 160,000 homes in England occupied by more than five people would end up needing a licence to let their properties legally.

They would also have to adhere to new rules setting minimum size requirements for bedrooms in houses of multiple occupation, to prevent overcrowding.

Housing minister Alok Sharma said: “Every tenant has a right to a safe, secure and decent home. But some are being exploited by unscrupulous landlords who profit from providing overcrowded, squalid and sometimes dangerous homes.

“Enough is enough and so I’m putting these rogue landlords on notice – shape up or ship out of the rental business.

“Through a raft of new powers we are giving councils the further tools they need to crack down on these rogue landlords and kick them out of the business for good.”

From April next year, someone convicted of offences such as burglary and stalking can also be added to the database of rogue landlords and be barred from renting properties.

It is claimed that the contentious practice of “no fault” evictions has contributed to the alarming rise in homelessness since the coalition government in 2010. In his interview for The Independent in which he said he would seek to abolish them, Mr Corbyn also said that tackling homelessness was a “moral litmus test for the country”.

The rival announcements show how housing has become a critical battle ground in British politics, with both main parties attempting to win the votes of renters shut out of the housing market and facing higher living costs.