The scheme was trialled in three council areas and sees public money protected by stopping it from being wasted on unsafe housing through Rent Repayment Orders.
Councils will be given streamlined access to Universal Credit data, which is required to complete Rent Repayment Order applications. It will be extended to 38 more local authorities in England and the government said this would improve living standards across the country.
The scheme was trialled in Camden, North London, where the data was used to recover nearly £100,000 in housing support and a fraud referral was made.
The scheme is being led by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and supported by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), and will be extended to areas like Enfield, where almost 30,000 households receive housing support.
The scheme comes alongside expanded provisions under the Renters’ Rights Act, which allows local authorities to seek Rent Repayment Orders for up to 24 months of rent, double the previous 12-month limit.
Sir Stephen Timms, Minister for Social Security and Disability, 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, added: “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.”
The 38 further areas where the scheme will be expanded include:
- London: Barnet, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF), Waltham Forest, Havering, Lewisham, Tower Hamlets, Enfield.
- North West: Wigan, Sefton.
- Yorkshire and 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 and West Norfolk, Colchester, Dacorum, Peterborough, East Suffolk.
- West Midlands: Shropshire, Telford, Bromsgrove and Redditch, Coventry.
