Councils have actually collected simply a quarter of the overall fines issued to them, indicating a significant percentage of rogue property owners are being let off the hook.
Between 2023/24 and 2024/25 of 285 English councils, an overall of almost ₤ 30 million in civil charges were imposed on personal property managers, totaling up to 3,700 cases. However Simply a quarter of that quantity (almost ₤ 7.5 million) was actually collected.
The data comes from a Liberty of Details Act request from the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA).
Ben Beadle, president of the NRLA, stated: “Occupants and the huge bulk of responsible property managers will rightly be fed up with our findings.
“For too long a minority of rogue and criminal operators have permitted to show impunity, bringing the sector into disrepute. It is galling then to see that those breaking the law are still stopping working to pay the cost– leaving excellent proprietors to pick up the tab in licensing costs.
“This also raises major concerns about how prepared councils are to enforce the Occupants’ Rights Act, and about the adequacy of the in advance funding provided to them to support enforcement action.”
The Occupants’ Rights Act will increase the maximum quantity that can be imposed in civil penalties from ₤ 7,000 to ₤ 40,000 when it enters force on 1 May.
The NRLA warned that without a major increase in upfront financing for council enforcement teams, rogue and criminal property managers will continue to slip through the internet.
This leaves occupants at risk and undermines the reputation of good landlords.
The proprietor association also required the visit of a chief ecological health officer to promote much better enforcement.
The readily available resources of regional authorities should be evaluated to establish if they require more to enforce the Tenants’ Rights Act.
Meanwhile councils must have to publish a yearly report on enforcement activity related to the private rented sector in their location.