A firm of law experts has criticised a report claiming councils in England and Wales have not adequately punished rogue landlords. 

The report, which attracted substantial media attention, was published by Public Interest Lawyers. 

It claimed that nearly half a million complaints have been made about landlord misconduct in five years – but councils took fewer than 1,300 landlords to court.

Now one expert has dismissed the report as misleading and inaccurate.

Phil Turtle, a director of Landlord Licensing & Defence, says: “This report is so far off the mark as to be risible. 

“It seems that the authors don’t understand the Housing Act 2004, as amended by the Housing and Planning Act 2016.”

He claims the report fails to account for the significant use of Civil Financial Penalties, an enforcement tool that allows councils to impose fines of up to £30,000 per breach. 

Turtle comments: “Councils often opt for Civil Financial Penalties over court prosecutions because they can retain the revenue generated from these fines. In fact, the majority of housing enforcements now use this mechanism.

“This practice has led to a significant increase in enforcement actions against landlords, though this fact is completely overlooked in the report. 

“Thousands of landlords are fined every week, yet the report suggests that councils are doing almost nothing.

“It’s clear that the authors of this report have a skewed view of the situation. 

“While councils may not be perfect, this report is a gross misrepresentation of the reality of landlord enforcement in England and Wales.”