Glasgow City Council will ask the Scottish Government to designate four blocks in Govanhill as part of an Enhanced Enforcement Area (EEA) in an effort to clamp down on rogue landlords.

The local authority wants the area bordered by Calder Street, Annette Street, Dixon Avenue and Westmoreland Street to be designated as an EEA under Section 28 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014, which came into effect last month.

It would mean landlords of tenements in the area could be compelled to submit to a criminal record check, produce a buildings insurance policy, and provide safety certificates.

The designation is intended for areas with particularly significant problems around the quality of private rented housing.

Housing in Govanhill has been under scrutiny since the council announced in January that a “block-by-block treatment programme” was being launched to deal with reported bed bug infestations.

Cllr Soryia Siddique, who is leading calls for a rogue landlord crackdown in Govanhill, said: “The council has spent substantial amounts in maintaining housing stock in the area, however there are continued challenges.

“Additional powers will allow the council to enforce housing standards. This combined with multimillion housing investment in the area will help make Govanhill a far better place to live.”

A spokesman for the council told the Evening Times: “We aim to make a submission to the Scottish Government later this month to have four blocks in Govanhill designated as an EEA.”

The spokesman added that EEA status would provide “additional discretionary powers to target enforcement action”.