Some councils have such poor enforcement of rules on private rentals that just one officer has to monitor 25,000 properties. 

That’s the claim from think tank the New Economics Foundation, which says that by contrast the better-resourced councils have one officer overseeing just 250 properties.

The NEF says the lack of staff in local government means that many local authorities are unable to enforce housing standards. Across England, there are over 3,300 private rented properties per enforcement officer. But the research finds that this figure masks stark inequalities across the country.

Nottingham has the best enforcement capacity, with just 267 properties per enforcement officer. Meanwhile the worst resourced local authority, Huntingdonshire, has almost 25,000 private rented properties per enforcement officer – almost 100 times as many. 

The foundation claims that in areas like this, local authorities’ ability to enforce decent private rented housing is largely symbolic, and leaves tenants contending with damp, black mould and other health dangers in their homes.

As part of the Renters Rights Bill, the government plans to create a landlord registry to form a database for tenants, landlords and local authorities. The NEF says: “Today’s research found that local authority officers are currently struggling with workloads, with the research showing concern that without extra capacity, the new database could simply add to administrative burden.”

It says £46 from an annual registration fee could pay to ensure no enforcement officer oversees more than 1,000 properties. Across the country this would pay for a trebling in staffing for private rented sector enforcement, on average. The financial impact on landlords would be minimal, with the fee reducing landlord yields by less than 0.03 percentage points, even in areas with lower rents.

Christian Jaccarini, senior economist at the New Economics Foundation, says:“Too many renters are stuck in damp, dangerous, and insecure homes, while rogue landlords go unchallenged and enforcement teams are stretched to breaking point.

“The good news is that we can change this. For less than the cost of a meal out for two each year, charging fees to sign up to a landlord registry could finally end the postcode lottery in enforcement and make decent housing a right.

“Councils, tenants, and even landlords agree: we need a landlord registry that holds bad actors to account and gives responsible landlords the credit they deserve.”

The government’s proposed landlord registry is intended to form part of a private rented sector database. The researchers behind the study claim that tenants, landlords and local authority representatives all saw the database as a unique opportunity to improve the private rented sector – with over half of landlords believed the private rented sector needs more regulation.