Vulnerable tenants are set to gain better protection with government funding securing the future of a task force cracking down on rogue landlords in Thanet.

The scheme run by Thanet District Council (TDC) has been awarded £226,000 to continue tackling poor housing conditions and homeowners renting out substandard accommodation.

The council's Rogue Landlord and Community Cohesion Task Force was set up two years ago focussing on improving conditions in houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), flats above shops and properties in deprived areas.

The scheme will now be extended for another year after the successful bid for a share of £28 million awarded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Since it was established in 2017, the task force has visited 2,000 HMOs and 5,000 other properties through door-to-door investigations.

Hundreds of homes in the private sector have been handed with enforcement notices and 500 more households assisted through multi-agency operations.

Cllr Lesley Game, TDC cabinet member for housing and safer neighbourhoods said: "Over the last two years, the Rogue Landlord and Community Cohesion Task Force has helped improve the living conditions and well-being of vulnerable Thanet residents.

"The fact that this Task Force works holistically within a multi-agency environment ensures that the wider health and social care needs of residents are met.

"I am delighted to have received this extra funding from central government to help tackle rogue landlords and poor housing conditions in the private rented sector, where migrant families can often suffer the most."

The group was formed after TDC secured £557,630 from the government's first funding round in 2017 with the latest round of funding announced on Saturday meaning the task force will continue until March 31, 2020.

Communities minister Lord Bourne said: "Whether its tackling rogue landlords who exploit vulnerable migrants, helping new arrivals learn English or supporting care leavers to access education, the Controlling Migration Fund is delivering results across the country and providing services for the benefit of all.

"Each community is unique in the challenges it faces, but the projects we’ve funded have shown that positive change is possible when people come together and think innovatively about how to support the whole community."

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