£4m to crack down on criminal landlords and letting agents

More than 100 councils across England have been awarded a share of over £4 million to crack down on criminal landlords and letting agents.

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick conceded that the majority of landlords provide decent homes for their tenants, but said that the new funding will be used by councils to take enforcement action against the small minority of landlords who persist in breaking the law, as well as to advise tenants of their housing rights.

Among those to benefit from the funding are 21 councils across Yorkshire and Humberside – to train over 100 enforcement officers across the region to ensure standards are being met by landlords, as well as a ‘Special Operations Unit’ in Northampton to enforce against the very worst landlords responsible for over 100 homes in the town.

Jenrick said: “This government will deliver a better deal for renters. It’s completely unacceptable that a minority of unscrupulous landlords continue to break the law and provide homes which fall short of the standards we rightly expect - making lives difficult for hard-working tenants who just want to get on with their lives. Everyone deserves to live in a home that is safe and secure and the funding announced today will strengthen councils’ powers to crack down on poor landlords and drive up standards in the private rented sector for renters across the country.”