Landlords in England who fail to address dangerous problems such as damp and mould now face fines of up to £7,000. From Monday, councils across England will have new authority to issue these penalties for serious hazards in private rental homes, including severe damp and mould, freezing temperatures, structural issues, fire hazards, and faulty electrics.
New Powers for Councils
Housing Secretary Steve Reed has written to mayors, urging councils to use these powers to tackle unsafe housing. The £7,000 fine complements existing measures, such as forcing repairs, carrying out emergency works, and recovering costs from non-compliant landlords. Reed stated: “Renters deserve a safe, secure place to call home and our landmark Renters’ Rights Act gives councils more options to take speedy action against rogue landlords. These include the new power to issue a £7,000 penalty to a landlord when there is a hazard like severe damp or mould in a privately rented home – a situation that no family should have to live with.”
Updated Housing Health and Safety Rating System
Alongside the fines, the Government is updating the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) in England. The final framework takes effect on Tuesday, designed to help councils identify risks more easily and act quickly to protect tenants in all types of housing.
Reactions from Advocacy Groups
Ben Twomey, chief executive of Generation Rent, commented: “Homes are the foundations of our lives, and no renter should have to live alongside mould, dampness and other risks to our health. The council being given the power to fine landlords up to £7,000 if they ignore repairs is an essential step towards raising the quality of rented homes. For renters to feel the benefit, though, councils must seek out and take action against those landlords who ignore unsafe conditions and profit from misery.”
Clara Collingwood, director at the Renters’ Reform Coalition, added: “Homes are the foundation for our lives, but for far too long hundreds of thousands of renters have been living in substandard homes that undermine our health and cause serious harm to children and vulnerable adults. It’s great that authorities have new powers to tackle this, and they must start using them immediately to crack down on landlords who profit from unhealthy homes. And now that we have new rights as renters, we need to use them – any tenant living with serious disrepair or damp and mould should know they don’t have to put up with it any longer. With new rights and protections, and section 21 evictions scrapped, we can’t be evicted for complaining and shouldn’t be afraid to report dodgy landlords to the council.”
Landlord Perspective
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), said: “The overwhelming majority of landlords provide good quality and safe housing. That will be made easier thanks to the Government’s work with the NRLA to improve guidance for landlords and tenants to identify and swiftly rectify hazards in properties. Good landlords, who meet standards and undertake repairs swiftly, will be unaffected by these tough penalties. But those criminal landlords, who undermine the reputation of all those who do the right thing, will feel the full force of the law.” He added: “Ministers need to develop pro-growth policies to support responsible landlords to provide the new, good quality homes to rent that so many tenants desperately need.”
