Fines hitting more London landlords

Local authorities in Greater London have issued more than £900,000 worth of fines so far this year, almost reaching the total through the whole of 2022, research from Kamma shows.

This is likely due to the growing number of licensing schemes, as 20 schemes and consultations have launched throughout the UK in 2023, five of which are in London alone.

Camden council is the top the council enforcement list in terms of number of cases brought forward, followed by Newham and Waltham Forest.

Together they have brought forward over 1000 cases against landlords and agents, with the average fine issued by Waltham Forest surpassing £8,000, nearly twice that of Camden.

Orla Shields, chief executive and co-founder of Kamma continues: “2023 is on track to be yet another record-breaking year for fines in the capital, with total fines now exceeding £9 million.

“As both the number of new schemes and enforcement rise in the capital, it is expected that fines will surpass the £9.4 million mark by the end of the year.

“Smart letting agents protect landlords, and their pockets, by ensuring that their compliance is watertight, removing the risk of both financial and reputational losses.”

New London schemes include Ealing, Newham and Kensington and Chelsea. Enforcement is expected to continue to rise as Redbridge, Brent and other councils plan to launch new schemes later this year.

Now, four in five London boroughs have some form of additional or selective licensing in place.

Local authorities in Greater London have issued more than £9 million in fines, with £909,550 dished out since December 2022.