A new Government crackdown will see sensors that detect damp and the cold planted in rented homes to catch rogue landlords.
The move is one of a series of pilot projects being funded by ministers in a bid to give more help to hard-pressed renters.
The scheme will see rogue landlords and unreliable letting agents face being taken to court in a £4million crackdown on unsafe rental properties.
The wireless sensors will monitor the temperature and humidity levels and alert the council to severe temperature drops or humidity levels that can cause damp and mould.
Landlords will be ordered to improve the heating or treat the damp if devices are triggered. If they fail to do so, they will face prosecution.
Housing secretary Robert Jenrick says the scheme will “deliver a better deal for renters.”
He said, “It’s completely unacceptable that a minority of unscrupulous landlords continue to break the law and provide homes which fall short of the standards we rightly expect.
“Everyone deserves to live in a home that is safe and secure.”
