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A report by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) found that local governments actually collect less than half of the fines levied against rogue landlords.
Civil fines worth £13 million have been issued by the council between 2021 and 2023. But FOI data shows only £6 million has been raised so far.
As a result of the findings, the NRLA called for the creation of a new National Environmental Health Officer who would lead a crackdown on unscrupulous and criminal landlords.
It added that the government should establish a recruitment and training fund to strengthen the capacity of parliamentary executive teams and better support the sharing of best practice between parliaments.
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Association of Residential Landlords, said: “Rogue and criminal landlords create deplorable conditions for tenants and damage the reputation of the responsible majority. should be a top priority for
“It’s strange that when budgets are tight, councils can’t collect fines imposed on landlords who don’t do the right thing. It makes a mockery of the deterrent effect such fines should have. Also, this , will be a devastating blow to the many responsible landlords who comply with and exceed their responsibilities, yet are also subject to the licensing regime and associated fees.
“It is vital that the Government and Parliament work together to increase the capacity of the executive team to make better use of existing powers to tackle poor quality housing. Additional protections for tenants risk being rendered meaningless.”