Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of legislation in ensuring that enforcement action can be taken against landlords who do not fulfil their legal obligations to tenants.

Local authorities have a range of enforcement powers to protect tenants from landlords that do not fulfil their legal obligations. The Housing Act 2004 gives powers to local authorities to regulate and enforce standards in the private rented sector. The Housing and Planning Act 2016 further introduced civil penalties of up to £30,000 and banning orders for use against the worst and most persistent offenders. Legislation also extended rent repayment orders which require a landlord to repay rent when they have not complied with the law.

My Department has also created the database of rogue landlords and property agents and, as part of the Renters’ Reform Bill, we have committed to widening access to the database to empower tenants to make more informed choices.