Council collection failures put PRS enforcement at risk

Councils are handing out fines to landlords for letting unsafe homes, but they’re often not collecting them.

A freedom of information request by the National Residential Landlords Association found that councils only collected about a quarter of the fines they handed down between 2023 and 2025 (less than £7.5 million out of a possible £30 million).

In the same period, councils stepped up the number of property inspections they carried out by 7% – but without strong collection processes to back them up, this may not deter rogue landlords.

Councils’ enforcement workload is only getting heavier. For example, enforcement of the Renters’ Rights Bill will fall on them. Examples include when a landlord:

• Tries to end a tenancy using a purported notice of possession or a notice to quit

• Claims to let a property on a fixed-term tenancy

• Claims to end a tenancy verbally

In addition, the planned new Decent Homes Standard for the private rented sector will also be enforced by local authorities.

Enforcement, then, is a crucial missing piece of this puzzle, as many have pointed out. If councils don't enforce consistently, rogue landlords can simply keep mistreating tenants and offering substandard homes, while honest landlords (and their letting agents) still face the admin and costs of playing by the rules.