The UK government is widening its clampdown on rogue landlords following a successful pilot scheme designed to raise housing standards and safeguard public money.
Around 400,000 households in England receiving housing support are expected to benefit as the programme, originally trialled in three council areas, expands to 41 local authorities, the Department for Work and Pensions announced today.
The initiative centres on tougher use of Rent Repayment Orders (RROs)—legal powers that force landlords to pay back rent if they operate without a licence, ignore improvement notices, or allow homes to fall into unsafe or substandard condition. Local authorities involved in the pilot were given streamlined access to Universal Credit data, enabling them to build stronger cases and reclaim housing support being misused on poor-quality accommodation.
Officials say the approach is already yielding results. In Camden, north London—one of the three trial areas—the council has used data-sharing tools to recover nearly £100,000 in housing support and make a fraud referral, redirecting taxpayer funds from landlords who failed to meet legal standards.
The wider rollout, supported by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, brings the strategy to areas such as Enfield, where nearly 30,000 households receiving housing support will gain greater protection.
The expansion comes alongside new powers introduced under the Renters’ Rights Act, which doubles the maximum period councils can reclaim rent from 12 months to 24 months. Ministers say the combined measures will strengthen enforcement, improve living conditions, and ensure public money is not wasted on unsafe homes.
The government argues the move marks another step toward driving up housing standards nationwide, giving local councils more muscle to act against landlords who break the rules—and more support for renters living in inadequate housing.
Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms said: “Thanks to this pilot, private renters in receipt of housing support will have stronger protections against landlords who fail to meet public standards.
No one should live in unsafe or unsuitable housing. We are giving local authorities the tools they need to deter bad housing practice, and ensuring better value for money by upholding safe standards”.
Councillor Richard Olszewksi, Leader of Camden Council, said: “Everyone deserves a safe place to call home. With more than a third of households in Camden privately renting, it’s vital that we ensure landlords are meeting important safety and management standards for residents.
This pilot helps us take further action against rogue landlords and regain the public money they wrongly pocketed. We’re investing this into more enforcement action and improving private sector housing conditions for everyone across the borough”.
Living in a decent, safe home is fundamental to health and work, and vulnerable renters who live in unsuitable accommodation are limited in their ability to take on work.
Enforcing better standards will drive up living standards through incentivising better practice in the future, as well as protecting taxpayer cash.
Justice for Tenants said: “This pilot has shown that we can deter criminality in the private rented sector and help fund housing enforcement services by making those who break the law shoulder more of the cost.
This pilot is a massive win for all law-abiding landlords, tenants receiving public funds, the NHS, and every taxpayer in the country”.
Additional Information:
The 38 further areas set to benefit from the expansion in our scheme include:
London: Barnet, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham (LBHF), Waltham Forest, Havering, Lewisham, Tower Hamlets, Enfield.
North West: Wigan, Sefton.
Yorkshire & The Humber: Leeds, Rotherham, North Lincolnshire, Calderdale.
East Midlands: Gedling, Nottingham City, Erewash.
North East: County Durham, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Gateshead, Northumberland, Darlington.
South West: Plymouth, Gloucester, Bristol.
South East: Horsham, Portsmouth, Oxford City.
East of England: King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, Colchester, Dacorum, Peterborough, East Suffolk.
West Midlands: Shropshire, Telford, Bromsgrove and Redditch, Coventry.