Councils fail to collect majority of fines
Local authorities in the UK have collected less than half of the fines imposed on rogue landlords, despite having the power to levy up to £30,000 for various offences, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has revealed.
According to Freedom of Information data obtained by the group, councils have only managed to collect £6 million out of £13 million in civil penalties issued from 2021 to 2023.
It was also found that nearly half of the councils (49%) did not issue any civil penalties during this time frame, while 69% issued five or fewer.
These figures emerge as the Renters (Reform) Bill, which would expand the range of offences for which civil penalties can be applied, is currently under consideration in Parliament.
The NRLA has proposed the establishment of a national chief environmental health officer to spearhead improved enforcement efforts against rogue and criminal landlords. The association also recommends that the government create a recruitment and training fund for council enforcement teams and enhance the sharing of best practices among councils.
🆕 Less than half the fines levied against rogue landlords have been collected by local authorities, according to new data gathered by the NRLA: https://t.co/5ygLVF2cHp [1/3] pic.twitter.com/qZWGsatkz9
— NRLA - National Residential Landlords Association (@NRLAssociation) May 10, 2024
“Rogue and criminal landlords cause misery for their tenants and undermine the reputation of the responsible majority,” said Ben Beadle (pictured), chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association. “Tackling them should be a high priority for councils.
“At a time of tight budgets, it is strange that councils are failing to collect the fines levied on those landlords failing to do the right thing. It makes a mockery of the deterrent such fines should be. It will also come as a bitter blow to the many responsible landlords who comply with, and exceed, their responsibilities – but are subject to licencing regimes and associated fees all the same.
“It is vital that the government and councils work together to boost the capacity of enforcement teams to make better use of the existing powers they have to tackle poor quality housing. Without this, additional protections for tenants in the Renters (Reform) Bill run the risk of being meaningless.”
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