4^th Dec 2017

British councils stand accused of being lackadaisical in their approach to prosecuting and fining rogue landlords.

The latest figures released under the Freedom of Information Act shows that 60% of UK councils had not prosecuted any landlords during 2016 and of those that had, 80% had taken legal action against less than five landlords.

Councils have defended their inactivity due to severe budget constraints which meant it was extremely difficult to successfully target the private rented sector properly. Nearly one in three councils owned up to carrying out less than one hundred inspections in their boundaries during last year.

The number one council for taking rogue landlords to court which 'racked' up 331 successful prosecutions was the London borough of Newham, Brent was runner up with 65 prosecutions with Waltham Forest who came third with 58. Doncaster managed 49 and Barking & Dagenham had 35 successful prosecutions in last year, but the majority of the 180 councils that took part in the survey admitted that they had not undertaken one single prosecution.

A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: "This government is determined to crack down on rogue landlords, either forcing them to improve and raise their standards or to leave the sector entirely. We expect all councils to use the strong powers and funding we’ve given them to improve property conditions and tackle poor quality rental homes in their area. Civil penalties and extended rent repayment orders were introduced this April meaning councils can now impose fines of up to £30,000 to tackle those landlords who flout the rules and shirk their responsibilities."

The MP responsible for calling for the details to be released, Liberal Democrat Wera Hobhouse, is out for 'blood' and said: "These figures expose a stark postcode lottery when it comes to tackling rogue landlords. Thousands of tenants across the country are having to endure horrendous and unsafe living conditions, while unscrupulous landlords are breaking the rules with impunity. Cash-strapped councils need more funding to inspect rented homes and bring rogue landlords to justice. Tenants should also be able to check whether their landlords have previously broken the rules through a public database. Rogue landlords have been allowed to exploit the housing crisis for too long. It’s time the government stopped dragging its feet and clamped down on them."

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