Council applies for first landlord banning order

Bradford Council has applied to issue its first landlord banning order after an individual repeatedly failed to improve their properties, according to a report.

The landlord, who councillors have been told had a large number of houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) in the city, had already been issued with £40,000 worth of fines for breaching standards.

A report said since 2018, landlords across the city had been fined more than £2 million in total over poor housing conditions.

However, council officers said applying for an individual to be added to the national Rogue Landlords Register "can be particularly effective where there are unscrupulous landlords who exploit tenants".

The local authority has applied to a tribunal for a banning order to be issued for one landlord, whose identity has not been disclosed, which would prevent them from letting or managing any residential property.

Council officers said they were waiting for a hearing to be arranged, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The report added: "The landlord is considered a serial offender as they have a long history of contraventions and convictions, the last being in April 2025.

"Further prosecution action is also being prepared."

The update, which will go before the council's regeneration and environment scrutiny committee on Tuesday, said that fines alone are "not seen as always being effective in preventing further breaches".

There are currently about 1,500 HMOs in the Bradford district, and the council's housing team makes sure the landlords of these properties adhere to legal housing standards, according to the report.

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