Landlords who fail to tackle serious hazards in their rental properties now face fines of up to £7,000 under a new government crackdown, but questions are already being raised about whether tougher penalties will have any real impact.

The measures, announced as part of reforms to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), will give councils greater powers to fine landlords who refuse to address dangerous conditions, such as severe damp and mould, freezing temperatures, and faulty electrics.

However, the NRLA says the effectiveness of the policy will depend less on the size of the penalties and more on councils' ability to enforce them.

Fresh Freedom of Information data obtained by the organisation suggests local authorities are struggling to recover the fines they already issue. According to responses from 285 councils in England, £29.7 million in civil penalties were levied against landlords for housing offences during 2023/24 and 2024/25, but only £7.4 million was ultimately collected.

The figures mean councils recovered just 24.9% of the penalties they imposed, despite issuing 3,695 civil penalties over the two-year period.

Enforcement gap

NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle believes responsible landlords have little reason to be concerned.

“The overwhelming majority of landlords provide good quality and safe housing,” says Beadle

“Good landlords, who meet standards and undertake repairs swiftly, will be unaffected by these tough penalties. But those criminal landlords, who undermine the reputation of all those who do the right thing, will feel the full force of the law.”

However, Beadle argues that increasing maximum fines misses a more fundamental issue.

“Increasing fines, though, misses the point, namely that councils are not using their extensive and existing powers effectively to tackle rogue and criminal landlords.”

The NRLA says the latest figures demonstrate significant weaknesses in enforcement capacity across many local authorities and is calling on ministers to undertake a formal assessment of councils' ability to enforce housing standards.

The association is also urging the government to require councils to publish annual enforcement reports detailing the number of inspections, notices, penalties and prosecutions undertaken each year.

In addition, it wants the creation of a national Chief Environmental Health Officer to provide leadership and consistency across enforcement teams.

Resource pressures

The debate comes amid growing scrutiny of how local authorities police standards in the private rented sector. Many councils have reported difficulties recruiting environmental health officers and enforcement staff at a time of ongoing budget pressures.

What is changing?

The Housing Health and Safety Rating System is the framework councils use to identify and assess health and safety risks in residential properties.

Under the reforms, councils will be able to issue fines of up to £7,000 where landlords fail to address serious hazards identified in their properties. Hazards covered by the HHSRS include damp and mould, excess cold, electrical safety defects, fire risks and structural dangers. The new penalty sits alongside existing powers councils can use to tackle unsafe homes that put tenants at risk. These include forcing repairs, carrying out emergency works and recovering costs from landlords who fail to act.

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