Councils “letting down tenants” who complain of category one hazards in privately rented homes: BBC report

The number of times councils in England use enforcement powers over dangerous or potentially deadly faults in privately rented homes is far lower than the number of reports made to them, a BBC News investigation has suggested.

In its report the BBC noted that when landlords fail to fix hazards - including serious faults that pose an immediate risk to health - councils in England have a legal duty to act.

BBC News said it asked councils in England how many hazards - classed as either category one or two - they had recorded in the last five years. It also asked how many times they had used enforcement powers in that time.

It found that not all councils could provide the information. However, of the 60% of councils analysed, a total of 135,687 hazards were recorded, including 42,654 category one hazards - deemed to pose an immediate risk to safety.

In the same period, the BBC said, formal action was only taken by councils on 25,243 occasions, while less than 1% of the registered faults led to a prosecution.

The numbers only apply to England, as there are different systems of regulation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Local Government Association told the BBC that formal enforcement was a "last resort".