Private rented slums are so out of control in an area of Glasgow that urgent government intervention is needed, according to a city housing association.

Govanhill Housing Association has asked the Scottish Parliament to set up an inquiry into slum landlords and inject cash to defuse a social and environmental time bomb.

MSPs are today being told how landlords are failing to maintain their properties, leaving p­eople living in dangerous and intolerable conditions which are hampering neighbourhood improvement.

Officials have outlined details of rat infestation, mounting rubbish, substandard accommodation and structurally dangerous buildings.

The situation is so severe and widespread that council resources are thought inadequate to make any real difference. Help is now being sought from Holyrood to prevent the area deteriorating further into a major health and safety hazard zone.

In a report to the Scottish Parliament petitions committee, the housing association said:

• “The proliferation of private landlords in Govanhill is a key factor in the spiral of social decline and physical deterioration.”
• “Additional resources are needed immediately in relation to pest/infestation treatment, as the volume and level of rat, cockroach and bedbug infestation is out of control.”
• “The Landlord Registration Scheme is not robust enough to stop rogue landlords letting out sub-standard accommodation at market rents to vulnerable tenants.”

In recent years the population in Govanhill has rocketed by more than 50%, to about 16,000, with the area now home to thousands of Slovakian Roma people, many in large family groups, putting extra pressure on the housing supply.

The Evening Times has highlighted the living conditions in Govanhill and reported action taken against slum landlords. Last year Mohammed Aslam was banned from renting out his estimated 39 properties after he failed to register and ran up council tax debts of more than £100,000.

One of his properties, a cockroach-infested flat in Allison Street, was closed down after it was found to be housing four adults and seven children with no hot water.

Glasgow City Council has already identified properties for urgent work with some currently under way, but admits future work will be curtailed by a budget squeeze.

Five addresses in Allison Street, Westmoreland Street and Langside Road are subject to ongoing major repair projects.

However, Govanhill Housing Association believes the scale of the problem dwarfs the staffing and financial resources the council is prepared to invest.

The report concludes: “The council’s current and planned investment in private housing in Govanhill, while welcome, is limited and piecemeal in its approach and lacks future strategic direction and forward commitment.

“The association considers it unlikely the council will be able, or willing, to respond in the manner required to make Govanhill a better place to live.”

Members of the petitions committee, including two Glasgow MSPs, visited the area with housing officials last month to see the scale of the problem. Petitions committee convener, Frank McAveety, agreed action is needed.

He said: “The challenge is how we deal with this problem of private landlords. It has always been there, but a new dimension has been added with demand for housing from a new immigrant population in the community.

“This is a cry for help from Govanhill that we need to listen to. We need to ensure the decision-makers at every level get their act together and make a difference.”

Janice McEwan, chairwoman of Govanhill Housing Association, said: “I was delighted that members of the petitions committee took time to visit the area.

“The MSPs were able to see for themselves the progress made to date through council investment and how the community is working together.

“However, they also got the chance to see shocking living conditions, and there are still more than 1000 unimproved flats in Govanhill.”

She continued: “We’re pleased the committee is considering the community’s views and taking time to understand why we deserve to continue to receive Scottish Government and city council support to solve the problems which are a barrier to improving people’s living conditions.”

In a response, Steve Inch, executive director of regeneration with Glasgow City Council, said Govanhill has been allocated £3 million of housing grant in recognition of its problems.

He said: “The council and its partners are developing a strategy, combining action on housing conditions with a regulation of private landlords and other aspects of neighbourhood management.”

However, he added: “Like other local authorities, the council faces further financial pressures, and a forthcoming redundancy programme for the over-50s is likely to erode the staffing resources available for private sector work, making it difficult to pursue the scale of the programme of maintenance orders that the council would like.

“Under current circumstances, the removal of ring-fencing from the public sector housing grant reduces certainty about the availability of funding.”