49 prosecutions but few financial penalties issued under Rotherham landlord licensing scheme
ONLY three financial penalties of up to £30,000 have been issued in Rotherham for unlicensed rental properties since selective landlord licensing was introduced in 2015, the council has confirmed, amid continued opposition to the scheme.
The figures were revealed in a written response to a question at full council from Cllr Simon Ball, who asked how often civil penalties had been used as an alternative to prosecution.
Responding, Cllr Linda Beresford, cabinet member for housing, said the council trialled civil penalties in 2019 during the first selective licensing scheme, when three penalties were issued.
She said officers found the penalties “harder to enforce and recover” because of their civil nature, adding that one penalty is still being repaid and is not expected to be fully recovered until mid-2026.
Cllr Beresford also confirmed that since selective licensing was introduced in 2015, 49 successful prosecutions have been brought by Rotherham Council against landlords for operating unlicensed properties under the Housing Act 2004.
She said the cases resulted in a range of court sanctions, from conditional discharges to fines of up to £13,300, rather than the unlimited fines permitted in law.
Cllr Beresford also said that over a three-year period, enforcement activity linked to unlicensed properties led to 100 arrests connected to cannabis production, highlighting what she described as wider criminality associated with some poorly managed housing.
The confirmation comes as Rotherham Council agreed last year to renew its selective landlord licensing scheme, a policy that has proved controversial and attracted strong opposition from landlords and residents.
The renewed five-year scheme will require landlords in designated areas to apply for licences costing £975 per property, with higher fees for late applications. It will cover parts of the town centre, Eastwood, East Dene, Clifton, Masbrough, Kimberworth, Thurcroft, Dinnington, Brinsworth and Parkgate, replacing the current scheme introduced in 2020.
A council report on the renewal found that only around one in five respondents to the public consultation supported the proposed designations. Several landlords argued the scheme “unfairly penalises compliant property owners”, with some calling for streets with no history of problems to be removed.
Critics have also questioned the effectiveness of enforcement, pointing to the limited number of civil penalties issued over the past decade.
However, the council says the scheme has helped to improve housing standards and reduce anti-social behaviour in targeted areas.