New figures have revealed that in the past five years Bristol City Council has brought 28 landlords to court. Despite the relatively low number of prosecutions, Bristol is one of the few councils in England and Wales acting upon tenant complaints.
Public Interest Lawyers submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to all England and Wales local authoritiess and found that, of the 252 who responded, almost two-thirds have prosecuted a maximum of one landlord in five years.
Data collected from Avon and Somerset councils reveals that 29 landlords faced a court prosecution in the past five years, with Bristol City Council responsible for all but one of them. It is not known how many of the landlords were untimately found guilty at court, but Bristol Live has covered a number of the cases among the 28 landlords prosecuted since 2019. Deepak Singh Sachdeva, was ordered to pay a total of £88,634 in 2020, after two children were found living in a cupboard in Avonmouth. He was found guilty of renting out accommodation that was of such poor quality it ‘posed a serious risk to life’ and described as ‘some of the worst conditions’ that environmental health officers working in this field had ever seen.
In 2023, Thomas Flight, a rogue landlord of flats on Portland Square in Bristol, created false identities and fake letting agencies as part of an elaborate web of misinformation designed to exploit his tenants. He was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay the council £25,000 in costs but was not banned from letting out properties.
Also in 2023, Naomi Knapp who rented out dozens of properties in Bristol left in appalling conditions appealed to have her ban on letting out properties overturned. But Bristol City Council’s decision was upheld in the Upper Tribunal. Tahir Aziz of Glen Park, Eastville was ordered to pay over £2,000 in 2022 for an unlawful eviction after nailing his tenant’s door shut.
A breakdown of the national figures show that Bristol City Council is one of only 16 authorities in England and Wales who brought more than 20 landlords to court in the past five years.
Tom Darling, director of the Renters’ Reform Coalition, a group of 20 organisations lobbying for changes to legislation affecting the private rented sector, said: “These are worrying findings. The key problem councils face here is ultimately a lack of resources, after years of rising costs and shrinking budgets.
“We’ve called on the government to provide local authorities – who will have the crucial role of enforcing the forthcoming Renters’ Rights Bill – with the additional funding and guidance they need to protect renters from rogue landlords.”
Across the 252 councils that responded to Public Interest Lawyers’ request for information, 438,523 complaints or ‘service requests’ regarding housing conditions or landlord behaviour were recorded across five years.Renters who suffer harm because of housing disrepair may be able to claim compensation.
Beverley Faulkner, Housing Disrepair specialist at legal firm JF Law, said: “All renters deserve to feel safe and secure in the property they pay to live in. Unfortunately, that does not always happen. The local authority being unable or unwilling to take action against a landlord could leave a renter feeling like justice has not been done.
“However, they could seek a fair outcome through a civil claim. If negligence by a landlord causes someone to suffer harm, for example through illness caused by damp and mould, they could make a personal injury claim.
“Our team of expert solicitors has significant experience in handling landlord negligence claims and anyone can visit here
for free guidance.”