Landlords face ‘major post-pandemic rise in enforcement by London councils’

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London’s councils have been clamping down harder on errant landlords over the past 12 months, it has been claimed.

Licensing platform Kamma says landlords and letting agents have paid fines totalling £8 million since it began tracking the market in 2018, including £2 million levied over the past 12 months and £238,000 over the past month.

Therefore approximately 20% of all fines have been recorded in the last 12 months, suggesting a major post-pandemic increase in enforcement from London’s Local Authorities.

This has been driven by greater tenant awareness of rent repayment orders and 13 new licensing schemes launching in the Greater London area so far this year, and 30 in the UK.

Bigger fines

Fines are also getting bigger, says Kamma. Last August the average fine for letting agents was £4,380, but now that figure has increased by 7%, taking the average agent fine to £4,690.

Landlords, in contrast, are fined more frequently but smaller amounts, with an average of £4,304.

Enforcement levels differ across the capital. Camden council tops the league table by number of fines, followed closely by Newham and Southwark.

The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is the London borough with the highest average fines of £19,800 per offense, followed by Hillingdon with an average of £13,500, and Hackney with £11,250.

“Local councils are sending a strong message to landlords and agents across the country with fines increasing so agents should see this as an opportunity to take control of their compliance and take action to protect their clients, and themselves against further enforcement efforts and fines,” says Kamma CEO, Orla Shields.

Read more: Do I need a licence for my property?

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