Council only secures nine rogue landlords prosecutions in half decade despite 11,762 complaints

Croydon council only took nine rogue landlords to court in five years despite thousands of complaints from tenants, new data shows.

Public Interest Lawyers (PIL) collected information from councils across the capital, with 16 of the 24 local authorities that responded stating they had pursued fewer than ten landlord prosecutions since 2019.

Croydon council received 11,762 complaints, more than any other council in London, but only completed nine prosecutions, according to the data.

Jae Vail from the London Renters’ Union, said: “Tenants face an epidemic of hazardous housing in this country, but when we report safety concerns to our local authorities, our complaints often go ignored.”

The London figures are part of a larger data set compiled by PIL which sent Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to every council in England and Wales.

Of the 252 councils – 80 per cent – that responded, 115 reported no prosecutions from April 2019 to March 2024.

Some councils argued that civil penalties, as well as formal warnings, were sufficient in maintaining landlord compliance. 

But, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) learned earlier this year that less than half of the fines issued against rogue landlords between 2021 and 2023 had been collected.

Organisations protecting renters’ rights have urged the government to address issues facing renters with the Renters’ Rights Bill, which is in the process of being passed through Parliament.

The Renters’ Reform Coalition is a group of 20 leading organisations which have joined to lobby for changes to legislation affecting the private rented sector.

They argue that the data collected by Public Interest Lawyers shows not an absence of willingness to prosecute landlords, but of ability to do so.

Tom Darling, director of the Renters’ Reform Coalition, said: “These are worrying findings.

“The key problem councils face here is ultimately a lack of resources, after years of rising costs and shrinking budgets.

“We’ve called on the government to provide local authorities – who will have the crucial role of enforcing the forthcoming Renters’ Rights Bill – with the additional funding and guidance they need to protect renters from rogue landlords.”

Croydon council has been approached for comment.

Pictured top: Bernard Weatherill House, Croydon council offices in Fell Road (Picture: Tara O’Connor)