Local councils have only collected a quarter of the total fines issued to landlords for housing offences in the last two years.

Freedom of Information requests by the NRLA from 285 councils found that between 2023/24 and 2024/25, 3,695 civil penalties worth £30 million were handed to private landlords, but just £7.5 million was collected.

Councils will have a statutory duty to issue civil penalty notices from 1^st May while the Renters’ Rights Act will increase the maximum amount that can be levied in civil penalties from £7,000 to £40,000.

However, by failing to collect the funds they need to fund enforcement action, the NRLA warns that rogue and criminal landlords will continue to slip through the net. Aside from leaving tenants exposed to poor practice, it undermines the reputation of the vast majority of landlords who meet their responsibilities and provide good quality homes.

Rightly

Responsible landlords will rightly be fed up with its findings, believes chief executive Ben Beadle. “For too long a minority of rogue and criminal operators have allowed to act with impunity, bringing the sector into disrepute,” he says. “It is galling then to see that those breaking the law are still failing to pay the price – leaving good landlords to pick up the tab in licensing fees.

“This also raises serious questions about how ready councils are to enforce the Renters’ Rights Act, and about the adequacy of the upfront funding provided to them to support enforcement action.”

Chief

The NRLA also wants the government to set up a new chief environmental health officer post which would have a national remit, undertake a full assessment of the resources local authority enforcement teams need, and require councils to publish an annual report on enforcement activity in the PRS.

Justice for Tenants is currently setting up a legal firm enforcing fines for non-paying landlords.

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