Housing conditions in the PRS a ‘national scandal’, claims letting agent

Ajay Jagota

A high number of properties in the private rented sector are not fit for human habitation, according to controversial letting agent Ajay Jagota, who runs KIS Lettings in the north of England as well as his Veriwise insurance service.

Jagota, who last week accused landlords of “not taking their responsibilities seriously”, says that a significantly high proportion of homes in the PRS fall seriously short in a wide range of factors, including repairs and damp.

He claims that around £8bn is needed to repair inadequate rented homes – private and social – in England.

The agent has based his claim on analysis he has undertaken of the recently-released results of the English Housing Survey.

He says that 23% of privately rented homes and more than one in ten socially-rented properties – 12% – currently fail to meet the minimum standard.

This means they key parts of the properties “need replacing or major repair” because of their condition, or that the homes feature major hazards such as damp and mould growth, excess carbon monoxide, poor sanitation and dangerous electrics.

According to Jagota, an average of £7,912 is needed to bring these homes up to standards – rising to an average of £10,569 in the North West.

Jagota commented: “It is a needless national scandal that so many renters in England and the rest of the United Kingdom are putting up with their landlord not fixing things.

“Up and down the country there are renters asking questions like ‘how long can my landlord leave me without a toilet?’ and ‘how long does a landlord have to fix electricity?’”

He added: “It is not good enough for landlords to claim that they can’t afford these repairs – they have a legal responsibility to carry them out. Veriwise was set up to support renters who lack the resources or legal skills to enforce these responsibilities and even pursue claims for compensation.”

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13 Comments

  1. smile please

    Hard to take an individual seriously when they cannot even take a photo of themselves correctly.

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    1. A W

      Did you check this guy / company out? He was Head of Training and Development for the Brexit Party so you’d think he has better PR photos.  
       
      2013 – KIS MAINTENANCE (NE) LIMITED was dissolved
      2017 – KIS SALES & LETTINGS GROUP LIMITED was dissolved
      2017 – KIS SALES & LETTINGS (SUNDERLAND) LIMITED was dissolved
      KIS SALES & LETTINGS (NORTH SHIELDS) LIMITED – Still going
      VERIWISE LIMITED – Dormant company until at least 2019, now active  
       
      So he is basically kicking up a fuss because his new company “Veriwise” is there to “provide a simple and easy solution for renters to resolve their housing issues.” He is trying to monetize the Fitness for Human Habitation (Homes) Act 2018, so obviously he will talk utter nonsense. Also his information from Veriwise is based upon *English Housing Survey 2015-16, so not exactly current.
       
      Shelter & Citizens advice provide this service for FREE. He hasn’t thought this through has he… why is PIE giving this cowboy attention?
       

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  2. jan - byers

    This is exactly why the govt wants corporate LL not amateur individuals

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    1. LVW4

      I would suggest it’s landlords with larger portfolios of low value and overcrowded properties in ‘certain’ communities who are responsible for these poor standards.

      Good luck to this ambulance chaser if he thinks tenants of those types of properties are going to challenge their landlord!

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  3. RosBeck73

    I hope this person isn’t discriminating against social tenants and is also going to do one of his razor-sharp analyses of the English Housing Survey as it relates to them. Or maybe they don’t matter – until there is another Grenfell.

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  4. AcornsRNuts

    Please, not this plonker again. Almost as annoying as that Quirke chap.

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  5. Will2

    Has anyone looked at his (KIS lettings) web site?  To me it looks as if he is claiming 4 branches all with the same postal address!! No signs or logos on his web site to suggest he is a member of ARLA or any other professional body.  I wonder what property professional qualifications he has that makes him such an expert in property or insurance matters, ifany?  Moreover why is Marc Da Silva /Propertyeye giving him advertising space for his insurance and other products come on Marc lets have some real news please. After all it says our comments must not promote a business so what is this doing? Full comments on a postage stamp please

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    1. smile please

      It is a truly awful website. Looks like something from 2005.

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    2. AcornsRNuts

      Four branhes and four properties to let to match.

       

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  6. PossessionFriendUK39

    I  blame  Property Industry Eye  for publishing his advertorial,  masquerading as ‘articles,  or news ‘   !

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    1. AcornsRNuts

      This is not the first article he has had published recently. Does he have a friend on the board?

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  7. spin2009

    So Clouseau, you think that if all landlords, who fit your disturbing racially stereotypical ethnic profiling solution , go on to change their name to Smith or Jones, they will cleverly avoid a “knock and search” from their local authority? 

    Personally i would go for something like “Ormsby Pilkington” as there has never been a bad landlord with that name.

     

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  8. jan - byers

    Race is not mentioned anywhere?

    Not everything ion the world is about race.

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