Councils are failing to take action to protect tenants in three quarter of cases where they discover homes are unsafe, Generation Rent has claimed after analysis of Freedom of Information requests.

The campaign group made requests to 110 councils in England seeking details of their enforcement activity in 2019/20. 

Of the councils that responded, 76 recorded 11,570 “category 1” hazards in private rented homes.

Category 1 hazards are those which are considered to pose the most serious risks to a tenant’s physical or mental health, for example, excess cold, mould, damp, hygiene issues, fire or electrical dangers.

Despite recording nearly 12,000 such issues, councils served just 2,814 improvement notices compelling landlords to take action.

This represents only 24.3% of hazards found, according to the analysis.

Generation Rent says that councils’ inaction is leaving renters vulnerable to retaliatory eviction if they complain and makes it harder for them to claim back rent if their landlord fails to fix dangerous disrepair.

Ahead of local government elections, the campaign group is calling on councils to commit to serving improvement notices every time they find a dangerous private rented home.

It wants to see criminal landlords driven out of the market and the quality of private rented homes improved.

Local authorities in England are responsible for enforcing safety standards in private rented homes. If a severe “Category 1” hazard is found on an inspection, the council can serve the landlord with an improvement notice, which compels them to make repairs. 

There has been no improvement since 2018/19, when the number of improvement notices issued represented 24.6% of hazards, although this was up from 20.5% in 2017-/8.

Private renters have little confidence in their council taking appropriate action.

In a poll of 1,008 tenants conducted by Survation in February 2021, 35% said they would contact the council if their landlord had failed to fix something – but 44% said they would look for somewhere else to live. Generation Rent is therefore calling on councils to improve the way they communicate with local renters, to raise awareness of their rights and how the council can help.

The group is arguing for all councils to introduce landlord licensing schemes, to make it easier for tenants to request inspections and help local authorities streamline their enforcement process.

Generation Rent director Alicia Kennedy says: “Things have to get pretty bad before the council comes around to inspect a problem property and criminal landlords will try anything to avoid doing work. 

“Inaction by councils serves only to discourage renters from reporting safety problems, and to embolden landlords who cut corners. 

“With no council support, tenants move out, and because so many people are desperate for a home, the landlord has no difficulty in finding a new victim.

“Budgets are tight, and there’s no question the government must provide more funding to drive out criminal landlords. 

“But there are councils already doing the right thing across the country and these elections are a chance to elect councillors who will champion renters’ interests and adopt good practices to keep their homes safe.”

A Local Government Association spokesperson says: “Councils take tenants’ complaints seriously and are doing everything they can to work with the private rented sector to raise standards where it is required.

“The private rented sector is growing and councils are working hard to ensure that complaints from tenants are prioritised and dealt with appropriately.”