A north of England council has released figures on the number of complaints it has received about private landlords.

Pendle council in Lancashire says that since April 2022, 153 complaints have been made about landlords who – in its words – “refuse to maintain their property.”

Of these complaints, 18 were classed as urgent including seven properties which didn’t have hot water.

Councillor Mike Goulthorp, deputy leader of the authority, says: “Pendle has some excellent landlords and letting agents but we have a vital role to play in tackling those who are irresponsible. We want to make Pendle a fantastic place to live for everyone so we’re using our statutory powers and clamping down on rogue landlords.”

Councillors have now commissioned a housing stock condition survey which will provide an up-to-date picture of the quality of housing in the borough.

Of the complaints made to the council which were assessed under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, more than half were excessively cold and 60 per cent had damp and mould present.

Informal action was taken which led to improvements being made to the living conditions in 21 homes. But 10 landlords failed to comply with the informal action which led to further steps being taken by the council to ensure the work was done.

Since April 2022, 12 prohibition orders were served, including two emergency prohibition orders, where properties were immediately dangerous.

A housing division spokesperson adds: “In Pendle we have a lot of older properties which need to be maintained. If a landlord doesn’t improve the properties within a specific timescale, we can carry out the work and then recover the costs from them and we can prosecute or issue fines.”