No Basingstoke landlords prosecuted despite 356 complaints

The report, which studied responses from 252 councils across England and Wales, revealed a broader trend of limited legal action against rogue landlords despite hundreds of complaints.

BDBC was among five Hampshire councils, alongside Fareham, Gosport, New Forest, and Test Valley, that opted against pursuing court prosecutions.

Isle of Wight Council, with 1,167 complaints, also took no action.

Landlord prosecutions in Hampshire and IOW (Image: publicinterestlawyers.co.uk) READ MORE: Eight cases from Basingstoke Magistrates' Court

This data was gathered from FOI requests to every council in England and Wales.

The study argues this lack of prosecution leaves vulnerable renters without adequate protection, as councils cite resource constraints and reliance on alternative enforcement methods such as civil penalties and warnings.

Yet, data from the National Residential Landlords Association earlier this year showed only less than half of fines issued to rogue landlords between 2021 and 2023 were collected.

Although the Basingstoke numbers show zero prosecutions, a Basingstoke landlord who failed to meet licensing and safety regulations due to poor housing conditions was ordered to pay £7,738 by the courts in September.

He was prosecuted by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council for three offences committed in February this year.

SEE ALSO: Basingstoke landlord fined for poor housing conditions

The Public Interest Lawyers report was collated before this prosecution.

Reacting to the report, Tom Darling, director of the Renters’ Reform Coalition, said: “These are worrying findings.

“The key problem councils face here is ultimately a lack of resources, after years of rising costs and shrinking budgets.

“We’ve called on the government to provide local authorities – who will have the crucial role of enforcing the forthcoming Renters’ Rights Bill – with the additional funding and guidance they need to protect renters from rogue landlords.”

Across the 252 councils that responded to Public Interest Lawyers’ request for information, 438,523 complaints or ‘service requests’ regarding housing conditions or landlord behaviour were recorded across five years.

BDBC's cabinet member for residents’ services and housing Cllr Laura James said: “Our officers proactively offer free support and advice to help landlords make sure that their tenants, who are our also our residents, can live in safe and well-maintained homes.

“Most landlords take their responsibilities seriously and provide good-quality homes for people to live in. But this council is committed to keeping its communities safe and we will investigate and take appropriate action where these standards are not being met.

“Prosecuting landlords is usually a last resort and we have a strong record of resolving complaints by working with landlords to address residents’ concerns. We can also issue statutory notices, which legally obligate a landlord to improve their property’s condition, and fines before considering court action. Since 2019, we have issued 77 statutory notices and eight fines.”