Final debate on Renters’ Rights Bill delayed as Lords discuss landlord database
12 months ago | 9 comments
Generation Rent says a ‘tenants’ army’ should enforce landlord database rules
12:01 AM, 16th May 2025, 11 months ago
17
The government should use a tenants’ army to check whether landlords are registered on the landlord database – and reward them with ‘rent refunds’ for reporting errant landlords.
That’s the call from Generation Rent, which says under the Renters’ Rights Bill, renters should be the ones checking the data.
That’s because ‘criminal landlords will dodge’ registering for it and councils won’t have the resources to enforce the rules.
The database will cover all private landlords and their properties to give tenants information about their potential home.
However, unlike landlord licensing offences, under existing proposals only councils will be able to act against landlords who fail to register on the database.
RRO for not registering
The organisation’s deputy director, Dan Wilson Craw, said: “Relying on cash-strapped councils to enforce the new database will weaken tenants’ incentive to check if their own landlord has an active profile, leading to higher levels of non-compliance by landlords.
“We are calling on the government to amend the Renters’ Rights Bill to make landlords liable for a Rent Repayment Order as soon as they fail to register on the database.
“If landlords don’t have an incentive to join the database, it risks being useless for tenants.”
He added: “The threat of having to pay back many months’ of rent should spur landlords into registering on the new database, but as things stand, only cash-strapped councils will have responsibility for making checks.
“Tenants are better placed than councils to spot landlord wrongdoing and could act as an army enforcing the new rules.”
He says renters will ‘need a strong incentive’ to check a landlord is on the database and then act if they’re not.
Tenants won’t check without an incentive
Mr Wilson Craw continued: “If the prospect of a refund is all in the hands of the council, many tenants will be put off from checking in the first place.
“Encouraging tenants to check their landlord’s compliance on the database would also present an opportunity for the government to raise awareness of wider renters’ rights by presenting essential information on the database website.
“Word of mouth about the potential rewards of checking the database would be particularly helpful in reaching renters who are currently unlikely to be aware of the Bill and who rent from landlords who rely on their tenants’ ignorance of their rights.”
London’s postcode lottery
The organisation’s call comes after it carried out research to discover a postcode lottery for London renters facing criminal landlords.
It says that five councils issued 87% of fines against law-breaking landlords and agents.
In many London areas, tenants reclaiming rent through Rent Repayment Orders (RROs) are as likely to penalise offending landlords as council fines or prosecutions.
The group analysed data from the Greater London Authority’s Rogue Landlord Database, showing councils levied £2.3 million in fines in 2024 and £3.6 million in 2023.
However, a single Kensington and Chelsea property skewed the latter with £1.4 million.
Tags:
Criminal Landlords, landlord fines, london renters, private rented database, rent repayment orders, renters rights bill, Tenant rights, UK Housing
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Member Since November 2024 - Comments: 81
8:35 AM, 16th May 2025, About 11 months ago
When the big establishments take over, which is what govt, councils, shelter, generation rent and others on the band wagon want, the tenants may have ‘contact details’ but will get a deafening silence and extreme difficulty to get through to anyone, if at all, to deal with their issues. Council and Social housing already do this.
Member Since August 2022 - Comments: 100
9:11 AM, 16th May 2025, About 11 months ago
This nonsense aside, I am in favour of a MEANINGFUL landlord database, where we can upload EPC, How to Rent guidels, EICR, GSC etc. for every property, so there is never any doubt as to whether they were served or not when we go to court to evict a tenant.
The more complete the database is, the stronger the argument to abolish ALL Selective License schemes, as all the information that the council needs to supposedly go after rogue landlords and tackle ASB will already be in there.
Member Since February 2018 - Comments: 627
10:23 AM, 16th May 2025, About 11 months ago
Isn’t the accolade for not having the largest number if gas safety certificates held by a council or HA? Any penalties would of course come from the public i.e. private purse, this, as so many areas of life, is no more than asset stripping which is what communists and unaccountable capital does, we need to combat it for they are the same thing.
Member Since February 2020 - Comments: 360
10:38 AM, 16th May 2025, About 11 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Markella Mikkelsen at 16/05/2025 – 09:11
Yes, if you are going to have a database, then yes it should be run properly and add value.
But once you have a database, it will most likely grow and grow.
They will want to add this and that. The things they will want to add will be for the governments/councils benefit, not yours. Then they will charge us for the service.
Imagine being asked to upload proof of room sizes, kitchen sizes, inspections etc the list could be endless.
The database could become an enabler for busybodies.
I work in data and software. My recommendation is not to support the database in any way, its a trojan horse for all sorts of misery for those who do not wish us well.
Member Since September 2013 - Comments: 20
10:46 AM, 16th May 2025, About 11 months ago
can we have a rogue tenant data base or would that infringe on their rights ? but sod the landlords
Member Since May 2014 - Comments: 620
10:58 AM, 16th May 2025, About 11 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Markella Mikkelsen at 16/05/2025 – 09:11
I would be happier if the database was just for uploading gas safety certs and other documents but the thoughts of a database which is open to Joe Public fills me with horror.
Just imagine every scammer and criminal in the land neighbours et al. having access to information about what we own, where we live and it would then be very easy to work out income etc.
Do we have any human rights left?
Member Since April 2018 - Comments: 374
11:11 AM, 16th May 2025, About 11 months ago
Sounds like Nazi Germany to me encouraging people to turn in others.Why not just give Generation Rent free houses, rent free and let taxpayer’s and landlords support them.Be fair they have fought in wars and done so much for the country.
Member Since February 2018 - Comments: 627
11:35 AM, 16th May 2025, About 11 months ago
Reply to the comment left by David at 16/05/2025 – 11:11
The verty last thing that you’d have got in the Third Reich was something for nothing, their view was that everyone had a duty to work and contribute, through that labour, to the general well being of all; as to narks, weren’t we encouraged by our own government to grass up neighbours breaking the nonsense of Covid lockdown (house arrest) rules. Oddly perhaps, Generation Rent, asuming they don’t really want to be renters but owners, would have found favour in Berlin’s policy of promoting home ownership and rewarding married couples by cancelling 25% of the mortgage on the birth of each child, probably not, actually being parents is just too much for too many today.
Member Since October 2024 - Comments: 15
11:40 AM, 16th May 2025, About 11 months ago
How about rogue Tenants list? All landlords need to know which tenants dot pay their rents and which tenants destroy the properties they occupy and refuse to leave.
Nothing should ever be a one way street. It’s usually the same tenants who do this time and time again.
Member Since October 2020 - Comments: 1177
2:34 PM, 16th May 2025, About 11 months ago
The rogue landlords will always avoid the database and all other aspects of the legislation, because the type of tenants they house know they won’t be able to get another tenancy.