News Concerns raised over ERYC officers
Two property owners in Goole have raised concerns about East Riding housing officers.
Property developer Paul Withers said he was "worried" by the way that council staff had visited the house of foreign tenant on Weatherill Street.
"Last Friday, the East Riding council were doing unannounced fire checks on the properties," said Mr Withers. "I didn't know anything about them.
"Russell Lee [senior environmental officer at the East Riding] went to a house on Weatherill Street. The tenant told Mr Lee that he didn't have a key for the front door. He didn't really know who he was."
Mr Withers has now asked Mr Lee not to carry out on the spot checks on his tenants and has offered to install fire link systems, where the smoke alarm is connected to the mains and cannot be turned off by removing the batteries, in all his properties by 2010.
Friday's problem was resolved but Mr Withers said: "I'm not happy with the East Riding."
A spokesperson for the ERYC said inspections were carried out unannounced as it was the only way to guarantee finding a property in its "true state".
Meanwhile another landlord, Andrew Barnes, has complained that Mr Lee has not had a Criminal Records Bureau check, which he claims is necessary if he carries on home inspections.
He is also annoyed that Mr Lee did not pass on information about one of his tenants, and said it should have been included in a risk assessment, which he was told had not been carried out.
"In November, a foreign tenant moved in with poor linguistic skills," he said. "They have already been attacked by bogus officials. I told Mr Lee I had a vulnerable tenant but he didn't pass it on."
The spokesperson said: "The inspecting officer was properly briefed and in any event we assume that many private sector tenants fall into the "vulnerable" category and our officers know to approach each inspection in the appropriate way."
He also said the council had no need to risk-assess each visit
Published on 21st February 2008 in News.
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