London landlords get £3.5bn a year from risky homes - City Hall data

London has the most "non-decent" homes in England

London landlords are earning almost £3.5bn a year for letting out homes of a "non-decent" standard, figures revealed.

Some 178,784 homes in London are non-decent - an official designation for homes that pose a risk to residents' health or life, City Hall data showed.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan branded it a "scandal" that so much money was going to private landlords of dangerous or dilapidated homes and called for the power to impose a rent freeze.

The government says this does not work.

It said councils already had powers to crack down on rogue landlords.

London has the most, and pays the most for, non-decent homes in England.

Some £493m of the rent comes from housing benefit, according to City Hall's analysis.

On average, a Londoner can expect to pay about £19,503 per year to rent one of these properties.

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The mayor said the central government needed to take "national action to support renters", including giving him the power to impose a rent freeze.

A government spokesman rejected the demand and said evidence showed private sector rent controls did not work.

"Renters would feel more secure raising complaints about the condition of their property if they didn't face the threat of arbitrary eviction, which is why I have long called for Section 21 'no fault' evictions to be abolished," Mr Khan said.

"The government should also give me the power to drive up standards and introduce a rent freeze in London to help people during this cost-of-living crisis."

He called on ministers to introduce "the long-promised" Renters Reform legislation.

A spokesman for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: "Councils should use the powers we've given them to crack down on rogue landlords, including issuing fines of up to £30,000 and banning those who rent out unsafe homes.

"Our White Paper, 'A Fairer Private Rented Sector', set out plans to fundamentally reform the sector and level up housing quality in this country, including introducing a legally binding Decent Homes Standard in the Private Rented Sector for the first time ever."

He added: "Evidence shows rent controls in the private sector do not work, leading to declining standards and a lack of investment and may encourage illegal subletting."

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