Birmingham City Council's housing officials have been given a £110,000 government handout to help it in the battle against rogue private sector landlords.
The money, part of a £5 million cash pot being distributed among 48 councils nationally, will be used to target landlords who place tenants in squalid, unhealthy, high fire-risk and overcrowded homes.
It will pay for more unannounced raids on suspect properties, step up inspections and surveys and encourage the rooting out of so-called 'beds in sheds' - landlords who illegally rent out garages, garden sheds and outbuildings.
There will also be new laws introduced to include a database of rogue landlords and letting agents, banning orders for the most serious offenders, civil penalties of up to £30,000 and more powers to seize back rent.
Recently, using existing powers, the city council successfully prosecuted a landlord who illegally rented out a large building in the garden of a home in Jervis Crescent, in Four Oaks, and the money could allow more to be investigated.
Government housing minister Brandon Lewis, who on Friday visited Birmingham, said the money and new laws would ensure more hard-working tenants were protected from unscrupulous landlords.
He said: "Many private rental tenants are happy with their home and the service they receive but there are still rogue landlords that exploit vulnerable people and force their tenants to live in overcrowded and squalid accommodation.
“We are determined to tackle these rogues which is why we are providing 48 councils with extra funding so they can get rid of the cowboy operators in their area and bring an end to tenants living in miserable homes in the name of profit.
"We also want to raise the quality and choice of rental accommodation across the sector. The funding will ensure tenants know what level of service they can expect and have confidence to get help and take action if things go wrong."
Later, Mr Lewis visited Chelmsley Wood to see how Government money was being used to regenerate housing estates.
Earlier this week Birmingham City Council's Labour council leader John Clancy announced he wanted to work with good landlords to raise the quality of private rented sector homes in the city.
