WIREDGOV

The NRLA has published its response to an announcement by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) confirming that local authorities will now have the authority to impose fines of up to £7,000 on landlords who refuse to address poor conditions in rented accommodation. The announcement also confirms changes to the Housing, Health and Safety Rating System.

NRLA Chief Executive Ben Beadle states that councils are not using their existing enforcement powers effectively, meaning many rogue and criminal landlords are not dealt with by local authorities.

Responding to the news, Ben explained how:

“The overwhelming majority of landlords provide good quality and safe housing. That will be made easier thanks to the Government’s work with the NRLA to improve guidance for landlords and tenants to identify and swiftly rectify hazards in properties.

“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.

“Increasing fines though, misses the point - namely that councils are not using their extensive and existing powers effectively to tackle rogue and criminal landlords. According to Freedom of Information requests by the NRLA, between 2023 and 2025, just a quarter of all fines issued to private landlords were actually collected by councils.

“If the Government’s plans are to work, councils need the resources to do the job properly and these figures show that so many do not. The Government should properly assess enforcement capacity and require councils to publish annual reports on activity to ensure accountability.

“Crucially, this should all be underpinned by the introduction of a new national Chief Environmental Health Officer, empowered to lead the charge for better enforcement across government.

“Alongside this, ministers need to develop pro-growth policies to support responsible landlords to provide the new, good quality homes to rent that so many tenants desperately need.”

Notes:

• The Housing, Health and Safety Rating System is the tool that local councils use to assess health and safety risks in homes
• The NRLA sent Freedom of Information requests to all local authorities in England responsible for enforcement in the private rented sector to establish:
  • ​The total amount of income they have levied in civil penalties relating to housing offences committed by private landlords in 2023/24 and 2024/25.
  • The total amount of income collected in civil penalties relating to housing offences to private landlords per year in 2023/24 and 2024/25.
• In total, 285 councils responded. It shows that, in 2023/24 and 2024/25 combined, a total of £29,707,273 of civil penalties were levied on private landlords for housing offences, but only £7,389,398 was collected. This means that just a quarter (24.9%) of all civil penalties levied on landlords were collected by councils.
• Overall, during this period, a total of 3,695 civil penalties were issued by local authorities in England for an array of offences connected to the private rented sector.
• Further information about the NRLA can be found at www.nrla.org.uk.  It posts on X @NRLAssociation.
• The NRLA’s press office can be contacted by emailing press@nrla.org.uk or by calling 0300 131 6363.