HHSRS: £7k landlord fines pointless if not collected
New penalties for landlords breaching health and safety rules are meaningless unless the fines are actually collected, we have warned Government.
The on-the-spot fines for landlords in England refusing to address poor conditions in rented homes, come in from today as part of planned updates to the Housing, Health and Safety Rating System (HSSRS).
However, we have told ministers that local authorities need to ensure civil penalty cash is collected if they are to tackle the minority of rogues operating in the sector – with our own research showing that over the two years from 2023 just a quarter of landlord fines were paid – £7.4 million of a total of a total of almost £28m levied.
Our chief executive Ben Beadle 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.
Existing powers must be employed effectively
“Increasing fines though, misses the point - namely that councils are not using their extensive and existing powers effectively to tackle rogue and criminal landlords. According to Freedom of Information requests by the NRLA, between 2023 and 2025, just a quarter of all fines issued to private landlords were actually collected by councils.
“If the Government’s plans are to work, councils need the resources to do the job properly and these figures show that so many do not. The Government should properly assess enforcement capacity and require councils to publish annual reports on activity to ensure accountability.
“Crucially, this should all be underpinned by the introduction of a new national Chief Environmental Health Officer, empowered to lead the charge for better enforcement across government.
“Alongside this, 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.”
The Housing, Health and Safety Rating System is the tool that local councils use to assess health and safety risks in homes, with the recent changes meaning on-the-spot fines can be issued by property inspectors who identify Category One hazards.
Attend our free webinar
We have also organised an exclusive member webinar to explain what the changes mean for you. The webinar ‘HHSRS: Understanding the Updated Standards’ will be held on Wednesday, (24th June) at 11am. The hour-long session will include an overview of the changes and how to ensure you remain compliant – with a Q&A session to address the issues that matter to you.
To register for the free webinar, click here, and to submit a question email [email protected]
More information
- We have created a comprehensive new checklist to help you make sure your homes are compliant with the HHSRS. For more information on your responsibilities – and to access the downloadable list click here.
- The NRLA also runs a property standards and safety course outlining your obligations, which is being updated to include the new rules. To find out more and to book your place click here.
