This research project reviewed the resources and timescales for councils in prosecuting private landlords in cases of poor property conditions, and the level of fines awarded in court.
Prosecutions are generally taken only where the landlord refuses to engage with council officers and there is no prospect of the remedial work being carried out. The exception to this is in rare cases where the housing conditions are so bad that there is an immediate danger to the lives of the tenants.
Findings were drawn from an assessment of the level of fines and costs awards in cases from three councils over a twenty month period. Eight cases were studied in detail to analyse trends and key stages in the process.
Fines varied greatly across the cases examined in the report. The process is time consuming and complex; the average time between identifying poor conditions and taking a case to court was 11 months.
Case studies and tools used by the councils in the process of prosecution are provided in the second part of this report.