Housing minister Matthew Pennycook has said councils already have powers including charging orders and bankruptcy proceedings to pursue unpaid civil penalties from rogue landlords, as ministers come under pressure to improve enforcement before the Renters’ Rights Act takes effect on 1 May.
The intervention follows a written parliamentary question from Liberal Democrat MP Clive Jones on whether the government would increase collection rates for civil penalties issued for housing offences. In his answer, Pennycook said the department engages regularly with councils and other stakeholders on how enforcement in the private rented sector can be strengthened.
Written answer points to tougher collection tools
For landlords, the important detail is not just the political messaging but the reminder that local authorities already have several routes to recover unpaid penalties. Pennycook said councils can use charging orders and bankruptcy proceedings, and that best practice will be shared as part of implementing the Renters’ Rights Act.
That matters because enforcement has often looked weaker in practice than it does on paper. In Landlord Knowledge’s March report on unpaid landlord fines, councils were found to be collecting only a fraction of the penalties they issue. The latest ministerial answer suggests Whitehall knows the credibility gap is now hard to ignore.
What the Renters’ Rights Act changes for enforcement
From 1 May, councils will gain wider investigative and penalty powers under the new regime. That sits alongside the government’s recently published Renters’ Rights Act information sheet, which set out the headline changes landlords face in the first phase of implementation.
While the government line is that stronger enforcement is aimed at criminal and non-compliant operators, compliant landlords should still expect closer scrutiny once councils have a new legal framework and a political mandate to show results. The practical warning is that paperwork, licensing records and response times are likely to matter more once local authorities feel pressure to prove the new system works.
There is also a wider policy point here. If ministers want the Renters’ Rights Act to look credible, they cannot allow large penalties to go unpaid without consequence. A regime that issues fines but struggles to collect them risks punishing careful landlords with extra compliance while failing to deter the worst operators.
For property investors, that creates a split market. Professional landlords with tidy records may face more administration, but those on the wrong side of enforcement could find councils more willing to escalate debt recovery than before.
What this means for landlords
- If you’re already compliant: make sure licensing, safety and tenancy paperwork can be produced quickly if a council asks for it.
- Watch for: councils using new enforcement powers after 1 May to show they are taking a tougher line on repeat offenders.
- Bottom line: ministers are signalling that unpaid landlord penalties should no longer be treated as optional.
Editor’s view
Landlords have long argued that weak enforcement hurts the good as well as the bad. If councils finally use the powers they already have, that could improve confidence in the rules. But if stronger enforcement simply means more noise and little recovery, compliant landlords will see it as another administrative burden rather than a clean-up of the sector.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 08 April 2026
Sources: TheyWorkForYou written answer, MHCLG
Related reading: Councils collect just 25% of landlord fines as rogues dodge penalties
📘 Renters’ Rights Act: Complete Landlord Guide
Everything you need to know about the new rules – 1 May 2026
