Disrupting London’s criminal landlords

The project

ALEHM has acted as project management lead, liaising with each participating authority to keep on target and pull together information centrally to achieve the wider aims of the project, to provide recommendations on how to prevent further spread of the business model, as well as bringing all substandard properties up to legal compliance.

The investigation has used intelligence data from local authority records to identify and inspect suspected properties and take enforcement action to rectify non-compliance with a range of legislation. Data from participating councils is then referred to intelligence officers working on behalf of the project, with a view to investigating the extent of organised criminal activity, aiming to prosecute multi-borough rogue landlords. The project should achieve better protection for housing charities and homelessness teams whose vulnerable clients are being targeted.

ALEHM’s pan-London approach will:

• ensure enforcement activity in one borough does not lead simply to displacement into another London borough;
• share intelligence across London;
• gather evidence to ensure prosecution cases are robustly prepared; and
• provide sufficient background to enable action to be taken to recover the associated proceeds of crime.

As a specific outcome, the project will aim to critically analyse its work and produce a briefing to disseminate any learning for sharing with colleagues across the country, as rising property costs price London from the market and new areas are targeted.

More information

For more information about this project contact Carlene Thomas.