Between 2022 and 2024, nearly half of housing authorities failed to issue any fines, and more than a third took no formal enforcement action against illegal lettings in the private rental sector.
In total, councils prosecuted just 640 landlords and handed out 4,702 civil penalties—amounting to less than 2% of the complaints lodged by tenants.
The newspaper also said only 16 landlords had been banned with eight of them from London.
A GR spokesperson is quoted in the paper, saying: “It’s really concerning. Councils simply don’t have the resources to enforce, leaving landlords across the country not fulfilling their obligations, and renters living in awful conditions that impact their physical and mental health.”
A Renters Reform Coalition spokesperson– a collection of activist groups, led by Generation Rent – says: “Legislation without enforcement to back it up is just paperwork. The new Renters’ Rights Act should deliver important new protections for private renters – but for tenants to benefit, the government must commit the resources and funding necessary for councils to enforce the act and hold criminal landlords to account.”
In response to a freedom of information request by The Guardian, 252 councils confirmed that private landlords were fined a total of £26.4 million between 2022 and 2024—despite the relatively low number of prosecutions. One council noted, “While formal court action remains rare, financial penalties are being used to deter unlawful lettings.”
Meanwhile, the government has pledged an additional £18 million in “burdens funding” to support councils in gearing up for enforcement of the forthcoming Renters Rights Act. The funding is intended to help local authorities manage the increased regulatory responsibilities expected under the new legislation.
The Guardian has revealed stark disparities in how councils respond to tenant complaints. Birmingham, which received the third highest number of complaints in England—12,002 since 2022—has not prosecuted a single landlord during that period. The council collected £99,065 in fines, equating to a formal enforcement rate of just 0.38%. In response, Birmingham City Council stated: “We have recently reviewed and refined our enforcement policy, particularly around CPNs, and we look forward to further national guidance on this subject.”
Leeds City Council, by comparison, received 2,797 complaints but took significantly more action with 24 prosecutions, 770 civil penalty notices, and one landlord ban. Altogether, 28% of complaints led to formal enforcement, highlighting a markedly more assertive approach.
Councils in Streatham and Croydon North—both within the constituency of housing secretary Steve Reed—are among the poorest performers in England when it comes to landlord enforcement. In 2022, Croydon Council received 4,461 complaints from tenants but failed to prosecute a single landlord. It issued just three civil penalty notices, recovering £16,000 in fines.
Neighbouring Lambeth Council fared little better. Despite logging 3,207 complaints, it took only three formal enforcement actions over the same period—an intervention rate of just 0.09%.