Statistics And Research On Landlord Prosecutions In Britain

Data collected by Public Interest Lawyers shows that councils in England and Wales received almost half a million complaints about landlords and housing conditions in just five years. However, local authorities took just 1,285 rogue landlords to court, with over a hundred saying that they prosecuted none at all.

On average, a council is now expected to carry out one court prosecution against a landlord per year.

This data was described by a group of prominent renters’ rights organisations as ‘worrying’, while another claimed that councils ‘lack both the resources and the political will’ to sufficiently deter landlords who fail to uphold their legal duties.

However, councils have argued that a drop in court prosecutions does not mean that efforts to protect renters have fallen in turn.

How Public Interest Lawyers Could Help You Make A Landlord Negligence Claim

Beverley Faulkner, Housing Disrepair specialist at legal firm JF Law, said: “All renters deserve to feel safe and secure in the property they pay to live in. Unfortunately, that does not always happen. The local authority being unable or unwilling to take action against a landlord could leave a renter feeling like justice has not been done.

However, they could seek a fair outcome through a civil claim. If negligence by a landlord causes someone to suffer harm, for example through illness caused by damp and mould, they could make a personal injury claim.”

You can contact Public Interest Lawyers today for support with a claim. We cover a wide range of cases, ranging from landlord data breach claims to personal injury claims for injuries caused by housing disrepair.

For quick and free support that’s available around the clock, choose one of these options:

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How We Conducted Our Research

We sent a Freedom of Information request to every council in England and Wales to find out:

How many complaints about landlords were received in 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24. The complaint could relate to matters that a landlord would have some influence over, like housing disrepair, overcrowding, harassment, or illegal eviction.
The number of court prosecution cases against landlords initiated by the council in each of those years.
The outcome of the prosecution cases.

While some councils provided court prosecution figures only, others presented figures of all enforcement actions, including warnings and civil penalties. This either came in the form of a total number or in a full breakdown of cases. Where this happened, we either took the figure provided as the prosecution figure or counted the individual cases where prosecution was the specified action.

All councils that provided a response before 12 noon on November 14th 2024 had their response collated.

An Overview Of Our Research Into Landlord Prosecutions In Britain

252 councils, or 80% of the metropolitan, unitary, district, London or Welsh local authorities, responded within the time frame for a request. 115 (46%) confirmed that there were no prosecutions at all from April 2019 to March 2024.

A further 49 only sought court action against a solitary landlord in the five-year period, meaning just under two-thirds of councils did not undertake a court prosecution of multiple landlords.

Most prosecutions related to a failure to adhere to prohibition notices or breaches of regulations regarding Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). In some cases, landlords were penalised in court for harassment or for illegally evicting tenants.

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

However, 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 government’s proposals include the introduction of a Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman Service to monitor and act upon tenant complaints.

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.

Reacting to Public Interest Lawyers’ report, 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.”

Complaints rise by over 4%

Across the 252 councils that responded to Public Interest Lawyers’ request for information, 438,523 complaints or ‘service requests’ regarding housing conditions or landlord behaviour were recorded across five years.

This is despite the fact that numerous councils either provided no information on complaint numbers or stated that no complaints were logged in some years.

There were 86, 474 complaints logged across the 252 authorities in 2019/20, dropping to 84,887 during the height of the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020/21.

Reports then rose to 87,290 in 2021/22, before increasing again to 89,789.

Councils received 90,083 complaints in 2023/24 – more than in any of the four years prior.

Liverpool City Council reported that they took in 19,439 complaints, logging more in 2019/20 (4,508) than 231 councils claimed to have received in the entire five-year period.

Croydon Council heard 11,762 complaints, while Cardiff Council and Redbridge Council (11,762 and 11,509 respectively) each heard more than 10,000 concerns from residents.

A bar chart which shows that Hull had more housing complaints than any other council which prosecuted zero landlords.

Regional Results For Landlord Prosecutions

Select an option below for information about a specific area or county.

Avon & Somerset

Bristol City Council took 28 landlords to court between April 2019 and March 2024, including one who ended up paying a six-figure sum.

A landlord prosecuted in December 2020 was charged under Articles 32(h) and (3) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Due to a failure to comply with a prohibition notice, the landlord paid a £100,000 fine, plus £7,450 in legal costs.

Deepak Singh Sachdeva, who was prosecuted for breaching HMO management regulations, was ordered in March 2020 to pay £87,000, plus £1,373.58 in costs and a £181 victim surcharge. Council inspectors slammed the property for having “among the worst living conditions they had ever seen”.

The council carried out two prosecutions in 2023/24, compared to seven in the financial year before and 12 in 2021/22.

Bristol City Council did not report the number of complaints received. Elsewhere in the region, North Somerset Council received 986 complaints while prosecuting zero landlords, while Bath and North East Somerset Council had 870 calls from tenants and a solitary landlord prosecution.

Bath and North East Somerset Council

2019/20: No complaints recorded, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 173 complaints, one prosecution (successful)
2021/22: 191 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 255 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 251 complaints, zero prosecutions

North Somerset Council

2019/20: 196 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 185 complaints, one prosecution (successful)
2021/22: 189 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 227 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 189 complaints, zero prosecutions

Berkshire

A 2023/24 case raised by Bracknell Forest Borough Council brought to an end a long period where no Berkshire landlord was taken to court by a local authority.

The prosecution, in which a landlord was found guilty of operating without a HMO licence, led to a fine.

In the four financial years prior, the three councils who replied to our request did not prosecute any landlords. Bracknell Forest received the most complaints in that time (987), followed by West Berkshire Council (757) and Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council (399).

Complaints received annually by the former have more than doubled over five years, while complaint figures have decreased elsewhere.

Bracknell Forest Borough Council

2019/20: 152 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 135 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 186 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 216 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 318 complaints, one prosecution

West Berkshire Council

2019/20: 186 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 132 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 184 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 116 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 139 complaints, zero prosecutions

Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council

2019/20: 109 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 79 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 77 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 76 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 58 complaints, zero prosecutions

Buckinghamshire

Milton Keynes Council received 3,142 complaints in the five-year period, and recorded zero prosecutions against landlords. Meanwhile, Buckinghamshire Council took fewer tenant complaints (2,592) but carried out four landlord prosecutions, which works out at around 650 issues raised for every individual court case. The latter provided data for the last four financial years, while Milton Keynes complaints covered the past five.

Buckinghamshire Council pursued two cases in 2020/21, with the convicted landlords paying £5,649 and £17,304 in fines respectively. Two successful prosecutions in 2023/24 saw landlords pay out £12,068 and £8,768 for their respective fines.

Buckinghamshire Council

2019/20: No complaints or prosecutions recorded
2020/21: 642 complaints, two prosecutions (both successful)
2021/22: 520 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 453 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 977 complaints, two prosecutions (both successful)

Milton Keynes Council

2019/20: 610 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 801 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 534 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 570 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 627 complaints, zero prosecutions

Cambridgeshire

Six landlords were prosecuted across Cambridgeshire by councils across five years, with all the court action taken by Cambridge City Council.

Only one case – a harassment charge in 2022/23 – has been prosecuted since the end of March 2021. However, all six landlord prosecutions brought forward by Cambridge City Council were successful.

The council was one of relatively few that successfully took legal action against landlords for illegal eviction and harassment, as well as HMO regulation offences.

Huntingdonshire District Council did not provide data.

Cambridge City Council

2019/20: 244 complaints, three prosecutions (for HMO licensing and regulation offences, all successful)
2020/21: 201 complaints, two prosecutions (one HMO licensing case, one illegal eviction, both successful)
2021/22: 348 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 409 complaints, one prosecution (for harassment, successful)
2023/24: 312 complaints, zero prosecutions

East Cambridgeshire District Council

2019/20: 27 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 28 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 29 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 27 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 35 complaints, zero prosecutions

Fenland District Council

2019/20: 182 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 183 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 170 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 147 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 160 complaints, zero prosecutions

South Cambridgeshire District Council

2019/20: No recorded complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 38 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 56 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 67 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 22 complaints, zero prosecutions

Cheshire

A total of six landlords across Cheshire were prosecuted by councils across five years, with Warrington Borough Council accounting for five of them.

The metropolitan council took in 2,480 complaints in that time, working out as just short of 500 complaints received for each single landlord prosecution.

In 2023/24, a landlord that breached a prohibition order paid a £400 fine, plus £150 in costs and an £80 victim surcharge after a successful conviction.

The year before, a landlord penalised for 38 offences related to HMO licensing and management regulations paid a £20,000 fine, plus a £181 victim surcharge. Elsewhere, a landlord found guilty of illegally evicting their tenant paid £541 to their victim and a further £1,000 to the council. The landlord had a 24-week custody sentence suspended for 18 months and was ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work.

Two landlords were fined in 2019/20 after Cheshire West and Chester Council took them to court for failing to comply with a prohibition order. There were zero prosecutions outside of Warrington from April 2020 to March 2024, while two councils – Cheshire West and Chester, plus Halton Borough Council – took more than 1,300 complaints from tenants.

Cheshire East Council

2019/20: 180 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 198 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 194 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 180 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 193 complaints, zero prosecutions

Cheshire West and Chester Council

2019/20: 214 complaints, one prosecution (successful)
2020/21: 196 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 237 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 287 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 403 complaints, zero prosecutions

Halton Borough Council

2019/20: 234 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 278 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 241 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 282 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 316 complaints, zero prosecutions

Warrington Borough Council

2019/20: 428 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 437 complaints, one prosecution
2021/22: 464 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 615 complaints, three prosecutions
2023/24: 536 complaints, one prosecution
*All prosecutions were successful.

Cornwall

Cornwall Council stated that they heard 2,940 complaints from tenants between April 2019 and March 2024. In this time, the council oversaw four landlord prosecutions, which works out as fewer than one per year.

The number of annual complaints fluctuated, with a post-lockdown high of 706 in 2021/22.

All four of the prosecutions took place before April 2022. In each case, the defendant received a guilty verdict, for offences ranging from comply with an improvement notice to illegal eviction.

2019/20: 521 complaints, two prosecutions
2020/21: 689 complaints, one prosecution
2021/22: 706 complaints, one prosecution
2022/23: 538 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 486 complaints, zero prosecutions

Derbyshire

Derbyshire was one of the more prolific counties for landlord prosecutions, with five of the eight responding authorities saying that they took at least one to court.

Amber Valley District Council, Derbyshire Dales District Council and High Peak Borough Council made zero prosecutions apiece. High Peak was the source of the highest number of complaints, with 850 tenants making their feelings known over the five-year period.

North East Derbyshire District Council did not pursue any court cases related to housing offences, but did prosecute one landlord for breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order. It led to the individual receiving a ten-month prison sentence.

Bolsover District Council raised two housing-related charges against landlords, while Chesterfield Council pursued eight prosecutions, a figure above the national average of five. Reporting just 475 complaints, the council’s data suggests a rate of one prosecution per 60 complaints.

Of the six cases that ended in a guilty verdict, the most significant sentence was handed out to a landlord who failed to comply with an improvement notice. The 2023 case saw the landlord pay a £12,000 fine, plus a whopping £30,000 in costs.

Devon

Out of all 252 councils who responded to our request for information, just two received more complaints while prosecuting zero landlords in court than Torbay Council.

The unitary authority heard housing concerns from residents on 4,108 occasions between April 2019 and March 2024. Complaints have steadily decreased, going down 43% in five years. Harassment or overcrowding complaints rose from two in 2019/20 to six in 2022/23, though none were recorded in 2023/24.

The council reported that 16 civil penalties were levied against landlords, but just one – back in 2021/22 – occurred within the past four years. The largest fine, £6,750, was issued to a landlord who failed to obtain a HMO licence.

Elsewhere, Exeter City Council raised three landlord prosecutions, although two were not completed. It was the same for North Devon District Council, although one landlord agreed to pay costs and one passed away before the case could be concluded.

Plymouth City Council received the second-highest number of complaints in the county, and completed one prosecution against a landlord who was added to the Rogue Landlords Register.

Dorset

Dorset’s two local authorities took in more than 3,500 complaints across five years, and one landlord was taken to court in the same period.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council had between 300 and 400 complaints in each of the five years, totalling 1,781.

Their one prosecution was against a landlord who contravened an improvement notice, an overcrowding notice and management regulations. A £3,000 fine was handed out, alongside £3,240 in costs and a £30 victim surcharge. Additionally, the landlord was subsequently issued a banning order. The council also pointed out that it served 41 civil penalties between April 2019 and March 2024.

2019/20: 347 complaints
2020/21: 342 complaints
2021/22: 368 complaints
2022/23: 394 complaints
2023/24: 330 complaints

Dorset Council received 1,786 complaints in the same period, with an even split between issues raised about private landlords and registered providers. The council did not pursue any court prosecutions in that time.

2019/20: 265 complaints
2020/21: 373 complaints
2021/22: 337 complaints
2022/23: 398 complaints
2023/24: 413 complaints

Durham

Durham County Council data shows that the council took on 2,723 complaints in five years. The number of issues raised to the local authority have dropped over the past three, however.

Three landlords were taken to court in the same stretch of time. In one case, a landlord that failed to obtain eight selective licences – which is a requirement for all private landlords in the area – was fined £47,330 after a successful prosecution. Another landlord who did not obtain two licences, and who also failed to comply with two improvement notices, was fined £15,473. All three cases involved a selective licensing offence, with the initiative having started in some areas under the council’s remit in April 2022.

2019/20: 602 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 554 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 622 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 521 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 424 complaints, three prosecutions

Elsewhere in the region, Darlington Borough Council had four landlord prosecutions, while receiving a total of 1,572 complaints from residents. Half of the prosecutions resulted in a guilty verdict.

2019/20: 306 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 300 complaints, two prosecutions (none successful)
2021/22: 298 complaints, one prosecution (successful)
2022/23: 331 complaints, one prosecution (successful)
2023/24: 337 complaints, zero prosecutions

East Yorkshire

In total, Hull City Council were notified of issues by private tenants 9,081 times. Across this period, there were no attempted court prosecutions of landlords. This made Hull’s authority the council that took the highest number of complaints without prosecuting a single landlord in five years.

2019/20: 2,001 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 1,554 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 1,797 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 1,990 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 1,739 complaints, zero prosecutions

East Riding of Yorkshire Council prosecuted one landlord per year on average, taking in 3356 complaints from the public in that time. Four landlords who failed to comply with a formal improvement notice received a fine. Additionally, one landlord pleaded guilty in court after the council learned that they had defied a Prohibition Order, which prevents a property from being occupied.

2019/20: 742 complaints, one prosecution
2020/21: 727 complaints, two prosecutions
2021/22: 681 complaints, two prosecutions
2022/23: 651 complaints, one prosecution
2023/24: 555 complaints, zero prosecutions

Essex

Ten of Essex’s 13 local authorities provided data in response to our request. The country appears a hub of landlord compliance, according to the data, with three councils (Epping Forest and Harlow) noting zero complaints, while others (Braintree, Brentwood, Castle Point, Chelmsford and Tendring) recorded fewer than 1,000 between them over five years.

Thurrock Council took the highest number of concerns on board, logging 2,755 of them. The council also stated that at least 16 landlords were prosecuted, with a further unconfirmed number between one and four in 2020/21 and 2023/24. Southend-on-Sea Borough Council launched six prosecutions, including one in 2020 where a landlord who breached HMO regulations was ordered to pay a huge £85,000 fine, plus £6,818.50 in costs and a £181 victim surcharge.

Gloucestershire

Cheltenham Borough Council heard by far the highest number of service requests from Gloucestershire tenants, noting down 1,486 cases in five years. The chief cause of calls for help was related to electrical certification issues, with 267 complaints logged between 2020/21 and 2021/22 alone. Elsewhere, the council received 40 claims of illegal eviction and 21 harassment concerns.

The council prosecuted two landlords, each of illegal eviction, with the 2019/20 and 2021/22 cases resulting in a guilty verdict.

Gloucester City Council did not confirm how many prosecutions were raised in 2023/24, but provided one reason for prosecution (failure to comply with licence conditions) and one outcome (guilty, with a fine issued). There were no landlord prosecutions in the four years prior. Elsewhere, Stroud District Council pursued one case in 2022/23, with the landlord eventually paying a total of £10,478 in fines and costs.

Greater Manchester

Manchester City Council is seventh on the national list for most complaints from April 2019 to March 2024, albeit with fewer complaints than contemporaries including Liverpool and Hull.

Greater Manchester’s biggest council received 8,417 complaints over five years and prosecuted three landlords, working out as one per 2,806 calls. Two landlords were fined £10,000, with another handed a £582 fine. This year, one landlord received a formal caution for unlawfully depriving a residential occupier, but did not get a fine.

Elsewhere, Bolton Borough Council prosecuted two landlords and received just short of 2,500 complaints, while three councils – Bury, Rochdale and Tameside – took over 1,000 complaints and pursued zero prosecutions.

Oldham Borough Council claims to have undertaken an eyebrow-raising 66 landlord prosecutions, though only one was undertaken between April 2022 and March 2024. The majority of cases regarded licensing, with a top fine of £2,640.

The local authorities for Salford, Stockport and Trafford did not provide data within the time frame for our FOI request.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight

Five Hampshire councils prosecuted zero landlords in five years, with Isle of Wight Council also not taking anyone to court. Out of the six, the island authority had the most complaints, receiving 1,167.

Across the region, Portsmouth City Council took the most contacts, with 3,647 across the five years. The council opened court proceedings against two landlords; one in 2022/23 and one in 2023/24. Eastleigh Borough Council took two landlords to court in 2020/21, with the pair fined almost £30,000 between them, but had none in the three following years.

Local authorities for East Hampshire, Hart, Havant and Southampton did not provide data within the time frame for our FOI request.

Hertfordshire

Five Hertfordshire councils – those of Broxbourne, East Hertfordshire, North Hertfordshire, St Albans and Three Rivers – opted not to take any landlords to court from April 2019 to March 2024. The former received the second-highest number of housing complaints out of any council in the county.

On the other end of the scale, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council stated that it prosecuted 22 landlords, with every case upheld in court. The council added that it did not seek any prosecutions in 2023/24, relying instead on civil penalties.

Dacorum Borough Council initiated two cases that led to guilty verdicts, including one where the penalised landlord paid a £13,450 fine, plus £29,856 costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge.

Kent

12 of Kent’s 13 local authorities responded to our request for information. Ashford Borough Council was the only exception.

A “landmark” prosecution of four rogue landlords led to Thanet District Council recording 55 court cases in five years – ten times the national average.

28 guilty verdicts were delivered against Sohila Tamiz, Pedram Tamiz, Adam McChesney and Kasem El Darrat in July 2022. The four landlords were shown to have threatened and harassed tenants, including one who was punched and doused in petrol. Thanet Council said that the prosecution “underpins our key priority of ensuring the ongoing safety of all of our residents.”

Thanet Council also recorded 3,678 complaints, more than any other Kent authority. Elsewhere, seven councils did not pursue any court cases against landlords.

Ashford Borough Council: Did Not Respond
Canterbury City Council – 64 complaints, one prosecution
Dartford Borough Council – 1,596 complaints, zero prosecutions
Dover District Council – 19 complaints, one prosecution
Folkestone and Hythe District Council – 1,229 complaints, one prosecution
Gravesham Borough Council – 1,097 complaints, zero prosecutions
Maidstone Borough Council – 1,129 complaints, zero prosecutions
Medway Council – 1,842 complaints, three prosecutions
Sevenoaks District Council – 344 complaints, zero prosecutions
Swale Borough Council – 593 complaints, zero prosecutions
Thanet District Council – 3,678 complaints, 55 prosecutions
Tonbridge & Malling Borough – 604 complaints, zero prosecutions
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council – 522 complaints, zero prosecutions

Leicestershire

Five out of Leicestershire’s eight local authorities prosecuted no landlords in court between April 2019 and March 2024.

The authorities for Blaby, Harborough, North West Leicestershire, Oadby & Wigston and Melton – which also did not record a single complaint – noted zero prosecutions.

Leicester City Council had the most (four), as well as the second-highest number of complaints (3,918). It was Charnwood Borough Council who had the most submissions from tenants, taking 4,121 complaints. The council sought court action against just one landlord, who was fined and added to the Rogue Landlords Register in 2020/21 for failing to licence a HMO.

Lincolnshire

Two Lincolnshire councils are in the top 20 for more complaints received by a council that took no court action against landlords.

East Lindsey District Council sits 11th on that particular list, having been contacted 2,401 times by concerned tenants. North East Lincolnshire Council had 1,746 complaints but did not deem any case worth prosecuting through court action.

Lincoln City Council reported that it raised 25 prosecutions – 11 were marked as Civil Penalty Notices (CPNs), indicating that there were 14 court prosecutions.

In one case, a landlord was convicted at Magistrates Court and fined £84,000. The council notes that the fine was reduced to just £54 on appeal.

Local authorities for East Lindsey, North East Lincolnshire and South Kesteven did not pursue any landlord prosecutions.

North Lincolnshire Council and West Lindsey District Council did not provide data within the time frame for our FOI request.

Lancashire

Three Lancashire councils are in the top 20 for more complaints received by a council that took no court action against landlords.

Local authorities for Blackburn with Darwen, Preston and Lancaster all had north of 1,500 concerns raised by tenants. However, there were no court cases taken against landlords from April 2019 to March 2024.

Blackpool Council had the highest number of both complaints (24,403) and recorded prosecutions (28). All 28 landlords were found to be guilty of various breaches of licences, notices or HMO regulations.

Burnley Borough Council took action against 12 landlords, all between April 2021 and March 2024. There were 11 cases of a licensing breach, and one of failure to comply with an improvement notice. Eight of the 12 cases were successfully prosecuted.

*In addition to those in the table below, West Lancashire District Council did not disclose complaint figures, but did confirm that zero landlords were prosecuted.

London

24 councils in London responded, with those in Kingston upon Thames and Haringey confirming that zero landlords were prosecuted between April 2019 and March 2024.

On average, councils received more than 750 complaints per year from tenants, and took an average of just four landlords to court.

Even councils with high figures have seen the number of prosecutions drop. Camden Council saw through 74 cases in 2019/20, leading to £336,450 in fines. In 2023/24, this dropped to £1,404 from just four cases.

Barking and Dagenham Council stated that they prosecuted 136 landlords, the highest figure in London, but did not confirm if all cases were court prosecutions. Camden followed with 104, and Enfield Council undertook 62 prosecutions.

Councils in Kensington and Chelsea, Wandsworth, Bexley and Richmond upon Thames noted just one case.

Across London, there were 91,590 complaints and a reported 489 prosecutions. The per-council average of 763 complaints and four prosecutions per year is far ahead of the national average (348 complaints and one prosecution).

Public Interest Lawyers’ findings were met with concern by London Renters Union, an organisation which recently made headlines for urging Redbridge Council to investigate Labour MP Jas Athwal over concerns over the management of his properties. Redbridge Council received 11,488 complaints from tenants in five years, second only to Croydon Council, which had 11,762.

Jae Vail, a spokesperson for 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. Many councils lack both the resources and the political will to hold landlords accountable.

“The government must ensure local authorities have everything they need to side with renters and enforce our basic rights.

“Renters also need the legal right to pause rent payments in cases of serious disrepair so that we have more control over our own homes and don’t have to…depend solely on councils, many of which have failed us in the past.”

Barking and Dagenham – 4,422 complaints, 136 prosecutions
Bexley – 1,971 complaints, one prosecution
Brent – 1,015 complaints, 31 prosecutions
Camden – 3,505 complaints, 104 prosecutions
Croydon – 11,762 complaints, nine prosecutions
Ealing – 7,764 complaints, three prosecutions
Enfield – 4,080 complaints, 62 prosecutions
Greenwich – 4,546 complaints, 13 prosecutions
Hackney – 1,508 complaints, three prosecutions
Haringey – 3,710 complaints, zero prosecutions
Harrow – 471 complaints, two prosecutions
Hounslow – 3,597 complaints, 16 prosecutions
Islington – 3,595 complaints, three prosecutions
Kensington and Chelsea – 4,170 complaints, one prosecution
Kingston upon Thames – 1,345 complaints, zero prosecutions
Lambeth – 3,237 complaints, seven prosecutions
Lewisham – 2,581 complaints, six prosecutions
Merton – 1,580 complaints, seven prosecutions
Redbridge – 11,488 complaints, 22 prosecutions
Tower Hamlets – 93 complaints, six prosecutions
Waltham Forest – 4,668 complaints, 50 prosecutions
Wandsworth – 3,390 complaints, one prosecution
Westminster – 5,934 complaints, five prosecutions

Merseyside

No council across England or Wales reported getting more complaints about housing than Liverpool City Council. Merseyside’s largest metropolitan borough council received a whopping 19,439 complaints about issues in privately rented properties.

The number of complaints has seen a post-Covid dip, going from 4,508 received in 2019/20 to 3,703 in 2023/24. A further 1,817 complaints tallied in the first half of 2024/25 takes the overall figure above 20,000.

The council reported 332 prosecutions from April 2019 to March 2024. However, 21 were marked as Civil Penalty Notices, two were a fixed penalty, 24 resulted in a written warning, and 263 were discontinued, dropped or otherwise resolved.

This leaves 39 cases in which a landlord was prosecuted, with the council noting that 21 led to a fine being issued.

The other five councils in the region prosecuted 11 landlords across five years, with Wirral Borough Council accounting for nine. Only two of the cases returned a guilty verdict.

Sefton Council prosecuted two landlords – one on six counts – and both were found guilty.

Nottinghamshire

Nottingham residents raised nearly 10,000 complaints between April 2019 and March 2024, with the council prosecuting 12 landlords in that period. The most recently recorded case concluded in June 2022, when a landlord was fined £14,047.97 for six HMO-related charges.

2,439 complaints were made in 2019/20, dropping to 1,883 and then 1,749 in the two following years. This then shot back up to 2,245 complaints in 2022/23, before complaints dipped to a low of 1,647 in 2023/24. This means that the council took in 9,963 contacts from concerned tenants, or 830 for every prosecution case. In many more cases, the council opted to issue final warnings in an attempt to ensure compliance.

Elsewhere in the county, four of the other seven local authorities did not pursue any court case against a landlord.

Norfolk

Councils across Norfolk have largely attempted to resolve cases outside of the courtroom in the past half-decade. Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s one case, which led to a £28,000 fine plus costs for a landlord who breached two HMO regulations, was back in 2019/20. In that time, the council received just short of 2,000 complaints from the public.

Kings Lynn & West Norfolk Borough’s two landlord prosecutions, each made against caravan site owners, were in 2023/24. Both were successful, as were North Norfolk District Council’s prosecutions in 2023/24. Two landlords who failed to comply with an improvement notice paid £16,000 and £1,850 in fines respectively. The council stated that ‘approximately 95%’ of the 460 complaints they received were about landlords specifically.

Norwich City Council did not confirm the number of complaints they received, but did disclose that zero landlords faced court prosecution in the past five years.

North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire’s four local authorities received more than 7,000 complaints between them in the past five financial years. In that time, they completed three landlord prosecutions between them.

City of York Council, which disclosed that 48 complaints were specifically about landlord harassment or illegal eviction, last took a landlord to court in 2019/20.

North Yorkshire Council took on 3,635 complaints between April 2019 and March 2024, with complaint numbers rising 17% over that period. Their last prosecution was also half a decade ago, with a breach of selective licensing conditions leading to a landlord paying a £35,000 fine, plus £1,980 in costs.

Middlesbrough Borough Council and Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council each recorded one prosecution apiece. The former took on more than 2,000 complaints, with 58 of them relating to overcrowding, 207 to illegal eviction and 27 to concerns over management of a HMO. The rest, approximately 400 complaints a year or more than one a day, were about housing disrepair.

Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council had over 1,000 disrepair complaints, and in that time they did not raise either a court prosecution or a civil penalty.

City of York Council (complaints related only to illegal eviction/harassment)

2019/20: Nine complaints, one prosecution
2020/21: 13 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 13 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: Seven complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: Six complaints, zero prosecutions

Middlesbrough Borough Council

2019/20: 406 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 447 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 416 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 505 complaints, one prosecution
2023/24: 512 complaints, zero prosecutions

North Yorkshire Council

2019/20: 653 complaints, one prosecution
2020/21: 688 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 751 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 778 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 765 complaints, zero prosecutions

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council

2019/20: 261 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 269 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 232 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 233 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 118 complaints, zero prosecutions
*All prosecutions in North Yorkshire were successful.

Oxfordshire

Oxford City Council completed one landlord prosecution between April 2019 and March 2024, despite receiving just short of 9,000 complaints in the same period.

The council took on 8,375 – as it did not confirm figures for 2023/24, this means all complaints came in the space of four years. However, complaints in the area have dropped 32% since 2018/19.

As well as just one prosecution over the four years, civil penalties have fallen in number as well. There were 38 between 2019/20 and 2020/21, but just 12 in the two following financial years. However, the council states that they halted more than 650 cases of harassment or illegal eviction without cause for further enforcement.

Three of Oxfordshire’s local authorities did not seek any court prosecution against a landlord in five years, while Cherwell District Council sought one prosecution. That was in 2023/24, when the council successfully took action against a landlord who attempted an illegal eviction. The individual received a suspended custodial sentence and was ordered to pay costs.

Shropshire

A massive fine was the sole outcome of Shropshire Council’s attempts to prosecute landlords in court across the past half a decade.

One prosecution, raised by the council in 2022/23, saw a landlord go up on seven charges of failing to comply with a Prohibition Order. After being found guilty, the landlord was ordered to pay a £24,500 fine, plus £5,507.83 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge, adding up to north of £30,000.

There were no other cases of landlords being taken to court. Complaints to the council about landlords rose by 22% between 2019/20 and 2022/23, before dropping to 254 in the most recent financial year.

2019/20: 235 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 236 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 269 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 286 complaints, one prosecution
2023/24: 254 complaints, zero prosecutions

South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire’s metropolitan councils were active against rogue landlords between April 2019 and March 2024, with 36 prosecutions between three of them.

Sheffield City Council states that they took action against a landlord in court on 17 occasions, with 16 cases returning a guilty verdict. Eight of the cases were raised under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, with all cases leading to landlords being found guilty of attempting an illegal eviction.

City of Doncaster Council had more than 2,000 complaints, with a concerning 237 relating to harassment or illegal eviction. Seven landlords were prosecuted over five years, though only one case related to the Protection from Eviction Act.

Rotherham Borough Council took by far the highest number of complaints from its residents, with more than 1,000 received in all years but one. In that time, 12 landlords were successfully prosecuted.

Barnsley Borough Council did not provide data within the time frame for our FOI request.

City of Doncaster Council

2019/20: 418 complaints, two prosecutions
2020/21: 392 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 375 complaints, one prosecution
2022/23: 436 complaints, one prosecution
2023/24: 411 complaints, three prosecutions

Rotherham Borough Council

2019/20: 1,475 complaints, four prosecutions
2020/21: 937 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 1,272 complaints, two prosecutions
2022/23: 1,357 complaints, three prosecutions
2023/24: 1,259 complaints, three prosecutions

Sheffield City Council

2019/20: 591 complaints, one prosecution
2020/21: 309 complaints, two prosecutions
2021/22: 321 complaints, two prosecutions
2022/23: 434 complaints, two prosecutions
2023/24: 521 complaints, five prosecutions

Staffordshire

The lion’s share of both complaints and landlord prosecutions across Staffordshire came in Stoke.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council received 5,065 concerns from tenants, with more complaints from April 2022 to March 2024 (2,146) than five other councils received across five years.

The council also took action in court against eight landlords, with one receiving an £11,000 fine, plus £2,000 in costs and a £195 victim surcharge. A successful prosecution under the Protection from Eviction Act saw a landlord accept a 12-month community order, plus £1,422 in costs and a £1,507 victim surcharge.

East Staffordshire Council prosecuted one landlord, who eventually paid £5,281 in fines and costs for breaching a Prohibition Notice, while the other councils who replied to our request did not undertake any landlord prosecutions.

Cannock Chase District Council’s absence of prosecution is in stark contrast to the 2,212 complaints the council received from tenants.

Suffolk

Two of Suffolk’s five authorities responded to the request, with East Suffolk Council and Ipswich Borough Council confirming that they prosecuted three and 33 landlords respectively.

The latter stated that all but four of those prosecutions were between April 2019 and March 2021. 24 of the 33 prosecutions raised over five years resulted in a fine.

In the most high-profile case, Francis Investments (East Anglia) Limited and company director Ralph Bernard were ordered to pay more than £70,000 in fines and costs across two cases.

East Suffolk Council were successful in all three prosecutions, with the largest total paid by a guilty landlord being £1,775.

While East Suffolk Council did not confirm the number of complaints, Ipswich Borough Council stated that they received 2,269:

2019/20: 394 complaints, 17 prosecutions
2020/21: 461 complaints, 12 prosecutions
2021/22: 425 complaints, one prosecution
2022/23: 450 complaints, one prosecution
2023/24: 539 complaints, two prosecutions

Surrey

A third of the Surrey councils who responded to our request confirmed that zero landlord prosecutions were carried out between April 2019 and March 2024.

Spelthorne Borough Council received 1,031 complaints from the public about housing, but did not identify a case worthy of court action. Out of the councils that confirmed the number of complaints received, only Reigate and Banstead Borough Council took in more (1,185).

Reigate and Banstead, as well as Guildford Borough Council, were the only authorities that took multiple landlords to court across the five years. In one case raised by the former, the guilty landlord paid a fine of £15,600, plus £10,000 in costs and a £6,240 victim surcharge.

Sussex

Only two Sussex councils took more than one landlord to court from April 2019 to March 2024.

Arun District Council took action against three owners of unlicensed HMOs and one landlord who failed to comply with an improvement notice. One of the three landlords found guilty was ordered to pay £17,500, plus a £190 victim surcharge.

Rother District Council pursued two cases, including one successful prosecution where a landlord was compelled to pay a £20,000 fine plus costs.

Brighton and Hove City Council had more complaints about housing than any other council in the region, taking 1,852 concerns from residents. While it did not confirm the specific number of prosecutions, it mentioned only one outcome, from 2023/24, where a landlord was fined a whopping £60,000 plus costs for three offences under the Protection from Eviction Act.

Brighton and Hove City Council – 1,852 complaints, one prosecution
Hastings Borough Council – 1,340 complaints, one prosecution
Horsham District Council – 350 complaints, zero prosecutions
Mid Sussex District Council – 971 complaints, one prosecution
Eastbourne Borough Council – 966 complaints, zero prosecutions
Crawley Borough Council – 927 complaints, zero prosecutions
Arun District Council – 884 complaints, four prosecutions
Chichester District Council – 491 complaints, zero prosecutions
Wealden District Council – 467 complaints, zero prosecutions
Lewes District Council – 325 complaints, one prosecution
Rother District Council – 269 complaints, two prosecutions

Tyne & Wear

All councils in the Tyne & Wear area responded to the request, except for Newcastle City Council.

Of the remaining four, only one – North Tyneside Borough Council – stated that zero landlords were prosecuted over the five-year period. In the same period, the council heard 1,028 complaints from concerned tenants.

Sunderland City Council had the most prosecution cases (nine) and the highest number of complaints (2,874), with the number of annual complaints doubling between 2019/20 and 2023/24. The largest fine paid by a guilty landlord was £4,620, with the smallest coming in at £180. Eight of Sunderland’s nine prosecutions were initiated in 2019/20, meaning that there was just one in the past four years.

South Tyneside Borough Council were just behind in terms of complaints, with 2,845, though the annual number in fact dipped from 616 in 2019/20 to 535 in the most recent financial year.

Gateshead Borough Council prosecuted two landlords while receiving 2,048 complaints about housing. Both cases, each related to a failure to comply with an Abatement Notice (a notice given when the landlord is responsible for a statutory nuisance such as excessive noise, smell or infestation) and both led to a conviction.

Gateshead Council

2019/20: 401 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 382 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 390 complaints, one prosecution
2022/23: 418 complaints, one prosecution
2023/24: 457 complaints, zero prosecutions

North Tyneside Borough Council

2019/20: 282 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 188 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 232 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 148 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 178 complaints, zero prosecutions

South Tyneside Borough Council

2019/20: 616 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 517 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 658 complaints, one prosecution
2022/23: 519 complaints, two prosecutions
2023/24: 535 complaints, one prosecution

Sunderland City Council

2019/20: 591 complaints, eight prosecutions
2020/21: 309 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 321 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 434 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 521 complaints, one prosecution

Warwickshire

There were 12 landlord prosecutions in Warwickshire between April 2019 and March 2024, with all of them coming from the same council.

Stratford on Avon District Council states that it pursued 12 cases, all under the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, which can lead to prosecution when a landlord ignores notices to deal with hazards such as excess cold. Penalties were issued in all cases, while the council also raised five prohibition or improvement notices in the five-year period.

The council also received the highest number of complaints in the county, hearing 1,270 concerns raised by tenants. Rugby Borough Council followed with 1,079. Neither they, Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council nor North Warwickshire Borough Council took any landlord to court.

North Warwickshire Borough Council

2019/20: 28 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 14 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 20 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 11 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 37 complaints, zero prosecutions

Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council

2019/20: 259 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 242 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 238 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 132 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 106 complaints, zero prosecutions

Rugby Borough Council

2019/20: 183 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 189 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 270 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 260 complaints, zero prosecutions
2023/24: 177 complaints, zero prosecutions

Stratford on Avon District Council

2019/20: 222 complaints, zero prosecutions
2020/21: 249 complaints, zero prosecutions
2021/22: 278 complaints, zero prosecutions
2022/23: 260 complaints, 12 prosecutions
2023/24: 261 complaints, zero prosecutions

West Midlands

Birmingham City Council reported that their Private Rented Service (PRS) Team logged 1,121 complaints from private sector tenants in 2019/20. Complaints could concern the likes of housing disrepair, harassment or attempted unlawful eviction.

The number of complaints rose to 1,495 the following year, before increasing to 1,548 in 2021/22.

While complaints fell to 1,076 in 2022/23, they then skyrocketed a concerning 103% to 2,185 in the most recent financial year.

In total, Birmingham City Council were notified of issues by private tenants 7,425 times. Across this period, there were no attempted court prosecutions of landlords. Only Hull City Council received more complaints while initiating zero landlord prosecutions.

Sandwell Borough Council and Dudley Borough Council also prosecuted zero landlords in court, despite taking on more than 6,000 complaints between them.

Coventry City Council took enforcement action against landlords 420 times between April 2019 and March 2024. However, only one case was reported to be a prosecution, with the others resulting in a caution, a fine or a Rent Repayment Order.

In Coventry, complaints have shot up in the five-year period. A resident was over 200% more likely to register a complaint with the council in the most recent calendar year (1,399 complaints) than five years ago (445 in 2019/20).

Of the 4,057 complaints received in total, half (2,011) were requests for inspection of privately rented accommodation, with a further 1,568 disputes handled by the Tenancy Liaison team. A further 430 people raised concerns about HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation).

Wolverhampton City Council was the only authority to take multiple landlords to court, having carried out five prosecutions between April 2019 and March 2024.

West Yorkshire

Two West Yorkshire councils are in the top 15 around the country for most complaints about housing received.

Leeds City Council is one of them – however, it has taken firm action in light of its 6,641 housing complaints by taking 99 landlords to court in the space of five years.

The council confirmed the figure, which is way above the five landlord prosecutions that the average English or Welsh council has undertaken. This includes a whopping 43 carried out in 2021/22 alone. Three quarters of the prosecutions were carried out between April 2019 and March 2022.

18 out of the 25 fully concluded prosecutions resulted in a fine, with one landlord found not guilty and two cases withdrawn. Almost half of the cases (48) related to a failure to apply for a selective licence, while there were no prosecutions related to harassment or illegal eviction.

Bradford City Council received more complaints (7,416) and prosecuted three landlords, with each case returning a guilty verdict.

Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield’s local authorities took on more than 9,000 complaints between them, but no landlord faced court action across half a decade. However, the courts issued a formal caution for one Wakefield harassment case that would have resulted in action had the landlord not admitted to the offence.

Worcestershire

Zero landlords were prosecuted anywhere in Worcestershire in any of the past four financial years.

The last time the county saw a landlord be taken to court by a local authority, Worcester City Council launched a 2019/20 prosecution for failing to licence a HMO. The landlord received a fine as a result. In total, there were more than 2,000 complaints made to five councils, with Wyre Forest (571) and Wychavon (558) reporting the most.

Elsewhere in England

Peterborough City Council was among the top 20 councils for housing complaints, receiving 4,921 of them. However, the number of complaints dipped by 28% between 2019/20 and 2023/24. Six landlords were taken to court in that time.

Central Bedfordshire Council sought prosecution for more than double, taking on 14 cases. The council was complained to on 2,379 occasions.

Westmorland and Furness Council had 1,533 complaints from concerned Cumbria renters, but prosecuted zero landlords. The same is true of Rutland County Council, though the tiny unitary authority received just 370 complaints.

In Wiltshire, Swindon Borough Council took two landlords to court over five years, receiving 724 complaints in that time.

North/Mid Wales

Denbighshire County Council received 2,208 complaints from tenants over five years, but did not opt to take any landlord to court.

In stark contrast, Conwy County Borough Council had fewer complaints (1.252) but pursued 19 cases, although 12 were withdrawn and two remain pending.

Flintshire Council appeared to be the most proactive council in the nation for landlord prosecutions, stating that it only received four complaints but took court action on five occasions. Every case ended successfully and with the landlord paying a fine.

South Wales

Only two councils in England and Wales received more complaints about hosing between April 2019 and March 2024 than Cardiff Council.

The local authority for the Welsh capital took on 1,976 complaints or service requests in 2019/20, with the annual figure dropping to 1,354 for 2020/21.

Complaints then skyrocketed to 1,881 in 2021/22, 2,408 in 2023/24 and a worrying 3,890 in 2023/24.

This means that Cardiff Council received 62% more complaints than the year before, and 97% more than they did five years prior. The 11,509 total complaints is eclipsed only by Liverpool and Croydon.

The council noted that 286 offences were recorded, but did not say whether any landlords were taken to court.

Vale of Glamorgan Council listed 30 prosecutions, the most notable of which was the £37,000 fine handed down to Mr Nazir Ahmed in February 2024, after an investigation found a slew of issues including a rodent infestation and the electricity supply to the entire property being shut off.

Another significant penalty saw a landlord face a fine of £68,295 after failing to obtain a HMO licence.

Powys County Council and Ceredigion County Council did not take any landlords to court across the five-year period.

Our Statistics And Research On Landlord Prosecutions In Britain