The award, made to 317 councils, is in addition to the £18.2m advanced by the government last autumn.
Furthermore, up to £50m will be invested in the judicial system to modernise civil courts, including digitising court processes, and £5m will be handed to the housing legal aid sector to help renters facing eviction with free legal support. Councils will be also be given training and guidance to help them fulfil new duties under the act.
From 1 May, councils’ new powers will include a legal duty to make sure landlords are complying with the ban on rental bidding wars, discrimination against tenants with children or receiving benefits and no-fault evictions.
Local authorities will also have the power to impose bigger fines, as the maximum fine is raised from £30,000 to £40,000, while issuing tougher rent repayment orders, going from one year’s worth of rent to two years. Tenants, meanwhile, can challenge offences going back to two years, up from one year.
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Driving rogue landlords out
Housing Secretary Steve Reed said: “We’ve been preparing councils to use their new powers on the minority of landlords who rip off their tenants, and this new funding will help councils carry out their duties.
“Stronger powers and fines will help deter wrongdoing in the first place, as we work towards a better rental system that’s fairer to tenants and good landlords.”
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), said: “Rogue landlords have no place in the private rented sector and every effort should be made by local authorities to drive them from the market.
“This announcement demonstrates that the government is serious about tackling those who bring the sector into disrepute and supporting those responsible landlords who provide decent and secure homes for renters.”
A recent survey found that, despite the imminent implementation of the act, a significant minority of landlords are still unaware of the changes about to brought in.
