Councillors in Bath have raised concerns that the crackdown on rogue landlords under the new Renter’s Rights Act will rely heavily on funds generated from prosecuting offenders.
The legislation, which took effect on May 1, prohibits no-fault evictions and bans unfair practices such as landlords arbitrarily refusing tenants the right to keep pets. To enforce these protections, local authorities have been granted enhanced investigatory powers and the ability to impose financial penalties on landlords who violate the law.
However, Matt McCabe, Bath and North East Somerset Council’s cabinet member for housing, acknowledged at a council scrutiny meeting on May 20 that funding for enforcement remains problematic. “Local authorities now have an enforcement role but lack dedicated funding to support it,” McCabe explained. He added that the enforcement costs might need to be covered by the fines collected through prosecutions, a model he described as “not a sensible way forward.”
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Andy Wait, chair of the scrutiny panel, echoed this sentiment, highlighting concerns over the optics of a “payment by results” approach to enforcement funding. “It possibly sends the wrong message to the public,” he said.
In the meantime, Bath and North East Somerset Council is assembling its own enforcement team to tackle violations of the act. Until the team is fully operational, the council has arranged for Bristol City Council’s existing enforcement unit to cover the area temporarily.