HOUSING bosses in Tendring will be handed £100,000 to crackdown on rogue landlords in Jaywick.

More than 100 councils across England have been awarded a share of a £4million cash pot to tackle criminal landlords and letting agents.

Government Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick announced the fund on Friday, which he said will help councils to take enforcement action against bad landlords and advise tenants of their housing rights.

He said a majority of landlords provide decent homes for their tenants, but a small minority persist in breaking the law, making tenants’ lives a misery by offering inadequate or unsafe housing.

Tendring Council will receive £100,000 and will carry out a survey of rented properties in Jaywick, part of which is officially listed as the most deprived area in the country.

It said the survey will help to shape how it engages with landlords and improves conditions for anyone living in substandard accommodation.

Paul Honeywood, councillor responsible for housing and Jaywick, said: “Tackling poor quality housing is one of the key areas of our focus in Jaywick and this survey will allow us to have a much better picture of the situation, instead of relying on anecdotal or historic information.

“This intelligence can then inform the way we work not only with landlords and tenants, but also with lobbying Government for further action to help improve the housing situation in Jaywick.

“Coupled with other projects, such as our work building ten new homes in the area, this will help to improve living standards for all as we look to work with the community to drive forward housing-led renaissance for Jaywick.”

Work, which is expected to take place in February and March, will mainly focus on the deprived Brooklands and Grasslands areas.

About half of the housing in the area is privately rented - an estimated 600 homes - and many are timber-framed 1930s constructions originally intended as holiday homes.

Mr Honeywood said the survey will help inform future action, including taking action against landlords.

Mr Jenrick said the cash would “drive up standards in the private rented sector” but Labour criticised the fund as “a drop in the ocean” compared to council cuts since 2010.