Rogue landlords are successfully avoiding the majority of penalties for housing offences, as new data reveals only a third of the fines imposed on landlords in London are collected.
This is according to data collected from councils across London by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) through Freedom of Information requests sent to all councils responsible for enforcement in the private rented sector.
The data shows that between 2023/24 and 2024/25, London councils imposed 1,300 civil penalties worth almost £8.7 million on private landlords for housing offences.
Of this total amount, just under £3 million was actually collected, meaning rogue landlords in the capital dodged more than £4.7 million in fines during this period.
In an attempt to crack down on rogue landlords and improve the welfare of tenants, the upcoming Renters’ Rights Act is set to increase the maximum fine able to be levied in these civil penalties from £7,000 to £40,000.
However, the NRLA notes that the amount levied in fines is not the key issue – it is the ability for councils to collect the fines they are owed.
If the maximum penalty amount is increased without an accompanying increase in support for councils to collect fines from bad landlords, then these landlords will continue to simply avoid paying.
The NRLA warned that a lack of accompanying support for councils will allow rogue and criminal landlords to continue to slip through the net, which will leave tenants exposed to poor practice and undermine the reputation of landlords who provide good-quality accommodation.
It called on the government to establish new Chief Environmental Health Officer post, which would have a national remit, and to undertake an assessment of the resources available to councils in enforcing the Renters’ Rights Act.
Enforcement activity should also be made more transparent by requiring councils to publish an annual report into private rented sector enforcement, the NRLA said.
“Tenants and the vast majority of responsible landlords across London will rightly be fed up with our findings,” said NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle.
“For too long a minority of rogue and criminal operators have been allowed to act with impunity, bringing the sector into disrepute,” he said.
“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.”
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