Bath and North East Somerset Council has raised concerns that enforcement of the Renters’ Rights Act will need to be funded through fines and prosecutions of non-compliant landlords, rather than dedicated government funding.
The council indicated that ‘not necessarily’ sufficient funding has been allocated to cover enforcement of the regulations, which came into effect at the beginning of last month.
Transitional funding concerns
Matt McCabe, Cabinet Member for Built Environment, Housing and Sustainable Development at Bath and North East Somerset Council, told a council scrutiny panel that local authorities now have enforcement responsibilities without guaranteed funding. “There is some transition money, but in future, it will be that we will have to supplement from prosecutions. Which is not a sensible way forward in my view,” he said.
The scrutiny panel has questioned whether a ‘payment by results’ model represents an appropriate approach to enforcement. Andy Wait, Chair of the scrutiny panel, told Somerset Live: “It seems to be payment by results, which is possibly not the right image that you need to put across.”
Interim enforcement arrangements
Bath and North East Somerset Council has contracted enforcement services to Bristol City Council while it recruits officers to conduct investigations under the new regulations. Bristol already operates a private sector housing enforcement service and will provide coverage until Bath establishes its own team.
The arrangement comes as the Renters’ Rights Act introduces new obligations for landlords across England. Councillors have noted that no clear long-term funding model exists once Bath’s enforcement team becomes operational.
The funding model raises questions about enforcement consistency across different local authorities and whether reliance on fine revenue could create conflicts of interest in enforcement decisions. The approach may also impact how local authorities prioritise enforcement activity within their rental sectors.
