London council ‘pick up pace of enforcement’ as fines total £7.5m over past five years

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London councils continue to batter rogue landlords and letting agents with penalty fines, pushing the total handed out to £7.5 million during the last five years.

In May, the total had risen by £300,000 in less than four months, however, this has slowed since last November when geospatial technology firm Kamma reported that fines increased by more than £1 million in less than a year as councils picked up the pace of enforcement efforts post-lockdown.

The average fine imposed on landlords for all offences is now £4,233 and £4,440 for letting agents – figures which have only gone up by about £20 in the last year, according to Kamma.

It says that while more record fines are given to landlords and agents, there are still many smaller fines handed out which keeps the average at a similar rate compared to last year. 

Largest fines

The borough with the largest average fine rate is Hammersmith and Fulham with £19,800, while Camden tops the table for the highest number of cases brought since 2017 (418), followed by Newham (340) and Southwark (169).

Landlords and letting agents face fines of up to £30,000 for failing to comply with safety and licensing regulations, and additional fines of up to £5,000 per property for non-compliance with MEES regulations.

Property professionals need safeguarding tools in place to protect themselves and their customers from market and regulatory risks, says CEO Orla Shields (pictured), as the firm announces a new partnership with insurance brokers Mint Insurance. This aims to give its customers access to discounted offers on Kamma’s licensing compliance services and tools.

“We continue to seek out new partners that we know will further our mission and support us in helping agents reduce risks and increase regulatory compliance in the property sector,” adds Shields. “This partnership helps agents dramatically reduce their risks and does so in an operationally efficient way.”

Read more about fines in London.

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