Renters reforms 'depend on proper council funding'

The success of the Renters' Rights Act depends on long-term funding for councils to properly enforce the rules, housing campaigners have warned.

The government has announced an extra £60m for councils who now have a greater duty to enforce the once-in-a-generation reform to renting.

Data from the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has revealed that only half of fines handed to landlords by councils across the West in 2023/24 and 2024/25 were collected.

Clara Collingwood of the Renters' Reform Coalition said past underfunding had hampered councils' ability to prosecute landlords, so future support must be set out "to ensure all tenants benefit from the Renters' Rights Act (RRA)".

Among the widespread changes are a ban on no-fault evictions, bidding wars and discrimination by landlords if someone has children or is claiming benefits.

Councils will have to ensure landlords comply with these new rules, and can fine the worst offenders more than before – £40,000 instead of £7,000.

Brodie Elliot from Swindon said she has been a victim of benefits discrimination after looking to rent for eight months without any luck.

"I'm getting turned away from the private rented sector," she said. "I'm on benefits and as soon as it's mentioned, you start noticing less replies, people not answering you."

She and her baby are currently sofa surfing between different family members.

"It's horrible, it's suffocating. I have a baby and it's a ridiculous amount of stress," she said.

The ban on no-fault evictions will be welcome news for Molly Crossley from Bristol who has been through it twice – the second time was just three weeks before her wedding.

"We spent our honeymoon looking for somewhere to live," she said. "I don't think you get over someone just stripping you of your safety."

The most proactive council in the West according to the NRLA data was Bristol City Council, where a third of the city are renters.

Bristol City Council issued 30 fines to landlords in 2023/24 and 2024/25 totalling more than £226,000, but was only able to collect less than half – about£106,000.

In recent years, the city council has been one of a few in the country taking rogue landlords to court and even banning them from renting out properties. But as past cases have shown, this can be costly and time-consuming.

In 2023, Thomas Flight, who was known for living in the Miss Conduct yacht in Bristol Harbour, was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay the council £25,000 for creating false identities and fake letting agencies to deceive his tenants.

Naomi Knapp was banned from being a landlord after dozens of her properties in Bristol were left in appalling conditions.

But it was discovered that she had started renting out properties on Airbnb and later signed up to provide temporary accommodation for the council.

Councillor Barry Parsons, Bristol's housing chief, said the council was "committed to taking action" when renters do not have a safe and secure place to call home.

He said the council's enforcement policy would be discussed by councillors in July and if approved would allow the authority to impose penalties of up to £40,000.

Parsons added last year the council's private housing team secured improved conditions in 2,717 homes.

"However, when landlords or letting agents do not co-operate, we will take the necessary action to ensure housing conditions are improved."

He said government funding would be used to grow the private housing team to manage any increase in casework and enforcement.

"The RRA is an important step, but we will continue to seek additional powers to improve conditions in the private rented sector and tackle affordability pressures and the housing crisis in Bristol."

Gloucester City Council also handed out a higher number of fines, but was able to recoup more of the money.

The authority managed to collect 97% of the nearly £202,000 handed out in 12 civil penalty notices.

Council leader Jeremy Hilton said he welcomed the reforms, which the council would enforce using government funding and additional income from enforcement from this autumn onwards.

"We recognise the increased responsibility placed on councils and are determined to use our resources to ensure high standards in the private rented sector for all residents," he said.

But five councils – North Somerset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Cotswold District Council and Forest of Dean District Council – did not issue any fixed penalty notices to private landlords during that two-year period.

Adrian Foster, Wiltshire Council's cabinet member for housing, said in the past fines were seen as a last resort, but the council had used government funding to hire a private housing support officer and adopted a new procedure "reflecting the stronger requirement to take enforcement action where appropriate".

Somerset Council said it had worked to make its approach to housing enforcement more consistent since the authority was founded in 2023, which resulted in eight fines in 2025/26 and a further two so far this year.

The authority said its priority was to make sure residents were fully informed of the changes, focusing on preventing discriminatory practices and stamping out rental bidding.

Forest of Dean District Council said it had secured improvements for private renters through informal action rather than formal notices, but it has now reviewed its policies in light of the RRA.

It added that officers had been trained in the additional powers and the council would report to the government four times a year on enforcement action.

This move to a more formal approach to enforcement was reflected by Cotswold District Council.

Their cabinet member for environment and regulatory services Andrea Pellegram said: "We recognise that the government now requires a more robust approach through the RRA.

"We welcome the opportunity to strengthen our enforcement approach, which will lead to even better outcomes for tenants in our district."

North Somerset Council said there had not been the need to issue financial penalties to private landlords in the last three years, but the RRA would change its approach.

It said it was updating its policies and working with neighbouring councils and charity Housing Matters to make sure landlords and tenants were aware of the changes, including a recent event attended by 70 landlords.

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the NRLA, said their findings raised "serious questions" about how ready councils are to enforce the RRA and whether upfront funding was enough.

Collingwood of the RRC said: "The success of the legislation in practice will depend on the ability of local authorities to investigate and punish violations - and due to chronic underfunding many councils have struggled to support tenants with the rights they've had up to now, let alone prosecute landlords who break the law.

"Councils are gaining new investigatory powers, and may be able to partially fund their enforcement activity through new (higher) fines levied on rule-breaking landlords."

She added extra landlord licensing could also help fund enforcement, which is why the group is recommending this policy to local election candidates.

Collingwood is confident councils can enforce the new rules properly, as long as they get proper support from the government to adapt to the changes and scale up their operations.

"That means predictable, long-term funding to hire and keep staff - not an annual surprise budget as has been the case so far," she said.

On top of the £60m of new funding for councils provided last autumn and in April, the government has committed to "additional yearly funding" to support enforcement action.

Another £50m is being invested in digitalising civil courts to make them more accessible, while tenants will be able to be repaid up to two years of rent instead of one in compensation.

Housing secretary Steve Reed said: "We've been preparing councils to use their new powers on the minority of landlords who rip off their tenants and this new funding will help councils carry out their duties.

"Stronger powers and fines will help deter wrongdoing in the first place, as we work towards a better rental system that's fairer to tenants and good landlords."

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.