One Rule for Landlords, Another for Councils

Recent headlines have exposed a troubling gap between the standards demanded of private landlords and the realities of council-run housing.

This is not about singling out individuals but about calling out a glaring double standard. While the upcoming Renters’ Rights Bill (RRB) aims to introduce significant protections for tenants, it also shows the need for a single, transparent set of rules that applies to all landlords.

The recent case of former Minister for Homelessness, Rushanara Ali, provides a pragmatic example of the challenges landlords face. While she was criticised for re-letting her property at a higher rent, her situation is one many landlords will face under the new regime.

It’s understood she attempted to sell the property, a common choice for landlords in the current market, and when the sale didn’t materialise, she re-let at market rent.

This scenario underscores a core issue for landlords under the RRB: navigating market changes, a new ombudsman, and potential property databases without a clear indication of the associated costs.

Ms Ali is not the only landlord Labour MP facing scrutiny. Labour MP Jas Athwal was forced to admit his rental properties are plagued by ant infestations and black mould, raising serious questions about housing standards.

This pattern of uneven enforcement goes far beyond MPs. Brent Council, for example, is famous for its aggressive prosecution of private landlords, yet one of its own tenants has reportedly lived for years with rats, mould, and sewage leaks.

Labour-run Lambeth Council won a legal challenge earlier this year after attempting to evict their own tenants to make way for homeless families, despite the council’s legal duty to prevent homelessness. As a result, more than 160 families have been served Section 21 eviction notices.

The pattern is clear: local authorities often act as both lawmaker and landlord, aggressively policing the private rented sector while their own housing stock falls short of acceptable standards.

This is why a key requirement of the RRB, which we at iHowz welcome, is the need for councils to report on their enforcement. For too long, many councils have introduced complex licensing schemes without ever inspecting a small proportion of the properties they are meant to oversee.

We have long promoted a better, more transparent form of licensing based on a scheme we negotiated in Southampton. This model has resulted in lower licensing fees for landlords while ensuring inspections take place at the beginning of the licence. Furthermore, it empowers landlords to use qualified surveyors to inspect and certify properties, which removes costs for the council and allows for a known, predictable schedule for inspections, often before a property is even tenanted.

Until a single, fair standard is applied to all landlords, public trust in housing enforcement will continue to erode. Private landlords will continue to point to double standards, and too many tenants, in both the PRS and council housing, will continue to live in unsafe, unhealthy homes. One law should apply to all landlords. No exceptions.

Article by Peter Littlewood, chief executive of landlord group iHowz