Several councils in West Sussex received funding to crack down on swindler HMO landlords in their areas.
The Government has given grants to Arun District Council, Chichester District Council and Adur and Worthing Councils to help improve standards of housing and encourage new initiatives aimed at targeting the problem.
Arun District Council has received £34,001 from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
“We are very pleased to have been awarded this funding as it will enable us to tackle the minority of landlords in the district who break the law by not offering their tenants adequate housing.
“The funding will not only allow us to take effective and targeted action against criminal landlords, but to also support good landlords in fulfilling their responsibilities.”
Councillor Matt Stanley, cabinet member for technical services, Arun District Council
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This money must go towards helping to identify private rented sector housing in the areas covered by the funding, including houses of multiple occupation (HMOs).
It will also find out what HMOs should be licensed and provide energy efficiency solutions for those enforcing or tackling the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards legislation.
If the HMO is occupied by 5 or more unrelated occupants, landlords must apply for a mandatory HMO license.
It is a criminal offence to operate a licensable HMO without a valid licence and landlords and letting agents may face prosecution, receive a Civil Penalty Fine or a reduced licensing period in consequence of any breach found.