A national charitable organisation, Homeless Link, has called for private landlords to be regulated.

The umbrella body says it is one of the steps needed to combat homelessness.

Reflecting the views of over 300 agencies, professionals and clients, its report, ‘A place to call your home’ also calls on all political parties to prioritise housing at the next election.

Meanwhile, Labour councillors in the London borough of Westminster have called for a compulsory register of private landlords to be set up by the council.

The move follows news that in the last year, Westminster Council officials inspected 1,712 rental properties, resulting in 206 legal notices being issued and hundreds of dangerous objects and hazards being removed.

Westminster has one of the largest populations of private tenants in the UK, at an estimated 40% of the population.

Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg, leader of the Labour Group, said: “The scale of the problems found by the council’s inspectors is very worrying and there are strong arguments for the council to establish a compulsory landlord registration scheme so that all landlords have to meet certain basic standards before they are allowed to let property.

“Westminster has the highest concentration of private flats in the UK, and proper regulation is needed if tenants are to be properly protected from the minority of bad landlords.”