Expanded crackdown on rogue landlords to protect taxpayers

Under the expanded programme, councils will be able to use RROs to reclaim up to 24 months’ worth of rent or housing support payments from landlords who operate unlicensed properties, ignore improvement notices, or leave tenants living in unsafe conditions. This is double the previous limit, reflecting stronger enforcement powers enabled by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.

The successful pilots in councils such as Camden, where nearly £100,000 has been reclaimed and referred for fraud investigation, highlight the potential of the enhanced powers to remove public funds from rogue landlords’ pockets and reinvest them into enforcement and housing quality improvements.

The 38 further areas set to benefit from the expansion in our scheme include:

• London: Barnet, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham (LBHF), Waltham Forest, Havering, Lewisham, Tower Hamlets, Enfield
• North West: Wigan, Sefton
• Yorkshire & The Humber: Leeds, Rotherham, North Lincolnshire, Calderdale
• East Midlands: Gedling, Nottingham City, Erewash
• North East: County Durham, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Gateshead, Northumberland, Darlington
• South West: Plymouth, Gloucester, Bristol
• South East: Horsham, Portsmouth, Oxford City
• East of England: King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, Colchester, Dacorum, Peterborough, East Suffolk
• West Midlands: Shropshire, Telford, Bromsgrove and Redditch, Coventry

Smarter enforcement and balanced reform are still needed

We welcome the UK Government's efforts to crack down on rogue landlords and improve standards in the private rented sector — particularly moves that give councils stronger enforcement tools and enable RROs to be more impactful. However, local authorities often lack the capacity and resources to enforce existing regulations effectively and tackle rogue landlords. Additional enforcement powers must be backed by adequate funding and staffing to make a real difference.

Propertymark has called for reform of property licensing rather than simply extending current schemes, arguing that some local discretionary licensing regimes act as “blunt instruments” that burden compliant landlords and letting agents with fees while allowing the worst actors to fly under the radar.

Rogue landlords have been a persistent challenge in the UK rental market. High-profile cases — such as tenants winning six-figure rent repayment orders after living in unlicensed multiple-occupation properties — underscore both the potential of enforcement tools and the scale of the problem that remains.