In this article we will review a new report which focusses in on the problem of so-called slum landlords and, specifically, at the issues surrounding taking enforcement action against them. It looks at the difficulties slum landlord enforcement involves, as well as at some working practices which have aimed to improve the situation. It concludes by making some recommendations for improvements both to the law and to working practices in housing enforcement against these types of landlords.

While the issue of ‘bad landlords’ is something that perennially preoccupies those in the sector, a recent report has brought some new thinking to the issue. It has identified criminal landlords and their tenants as a ‘shadow’ or something of a sub-sector of the wider PRS. The report includes a look at the types of criminal landlord, why they exist, how they operate and – in a market that is on the face of it already highly regulated – how they get away with it. It provides insight into where enforcement against them is lacking and how it might be improved.

In September 2024 we wrote about Spelthorne Borough Council’s decision to apply an Article 4 direction to the conversion of houses into small HMOs. Spelthorne Borough Council’s decision to ‘go nuclear’ with Article 4 and extend their initial, recently introduced scheme out into every ward of the borough.

However the new law has brought in another, less well known but very significant change. That is the new investigatory powers that local authorities will have to investigate your business and enter your property to aid their enforcement work. These particular powers can begin to be used from 27 December 2025 so we will look at what they involve here.

A new report from the ONS and Government Statistical Service (GSS) takes a closer look at how housing statistics are compiled across the UK, focusing on the Private Rented Sector (PRS). Overall, the report provides valuable insight into the gaps and inconsistencies in UK housing data and the importance of improving the reliability of statistics used to shape housing policy and enforcement.

In a climate where selective licensing schemes are spreading like wildfire, a recent proposal in Great Yarmouth is causing more controversy than many. It is proposing a condition that landlords must inspect their properties no less than once every three months. Here we will look at the proposed scheme and at the wider issue raised: How often landlords should, or must, inspect their properties.

MHCLG launched a consultation on proposals to update the Decent Homes Standard. The current DHS a home is considered ‘decent’ if it is: Free from health and safety hazards at the most severe category 1 level as per the HHSRS. It should also be in a reasonable state of repair, have reasonably modern facilities and services and provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort.

We often hear – and with very good reason –  about cold, damp and mould issues in homes. But we rarely hear anything about the issues surrounding excessive weather-related heat. So in this report we will take a look at the problem, as well as the implications from a housing enforcement point of view.

The latest release of information from the English Housing Survey provides some insight on the relationship between housing quality and health. The survey collects information on the quality and condition of homes, alongside the characteristics and housing circumstances of households. It is based on interviews with householders and property inspections. It takes in all tenures including owner occupied, social housing and the private rented sector (PRS).

In the recent local government elections a relatively new political party – Reform UK – made major inroads and took control of a number of local authorities. In this piece we’ll take a strictly non-partisan look at what this could mean for housing policy (and enforcement) in local authorities.

Some new research has investigated how much revenue local authorities are generating from their PRS licensing schemes. In this post we will take a closer look at the findings, including who is earning the most money from licensing

In a significant ruling concerning the regulation of HMOs, the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber – Residential Property) has overturned a condition imposed by a Local Authority limiting the occupancy of a property. Here we take a look at the decision and the implications.