New data reveals which councils are targeting rogue landlords across Derbyshire – with Chesterfield leading the way and several failing to secure any prosecutions

Public Interest Lawyers collected information from English and Welsh councils, finding that over 100 of them did not take any landlords to court between 2019/20 and 2023/24.

Derbyshire was one of the more prolific counties for landlord prosecutions, with five of the eight responding authorities saying that they took at least one to court.

Amber Valley District Council, Derbyshire Dales District Council and High Peak Borough Council made zero prosecutions apiece. High Peak was the source of the highest number of complaints, with 850 tenants making their feelings known over the five-year period.

North East Derbyshire District Council did not pursue any court cases related to housing offences, but did prosecute one landlord for breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order. It led to the individual receiving a ten-month prison sentence.

Bolsover District Council raised two housing-related charges against landlords, while Chesterfield Council pursued eight prosecutions, a figure above the national average of five. Reporting just 475 complaints, the council’s data suggests a rate of one prosecution per 60 complaints.

Of the six cases that ended in a guilty verdict, the most significant sentence was handed out to a landlord who failed to comply with an improvement notice. The 2023 case saw the landlord pay a £12,000 fine, plus a whopping £30,000 in costs.

Public Interest Lawyers sent a Freedom of Information request to every council in England and Wales to find out how many prosecutions had been pursued. 252 councils responded within the time frame for a request, and 115 (46%) confirmed that there were no prosecutions at all from April 2019 to March 2024.

A further 49 only sought court action against a solitary landlord in the five-year period, meaning just under two-thirds of councils did not undertake a court prosecution of multiple landlords

Some councils have argued that civil penalties, as well as formal warnings, have been sufficient in maintaining landlord compliance. However, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) learned earlier this year that less than half of the fines issued against rogue landlords between 2021 and 2023 had been collected.

Organisations protecting renters’ rights have urged the government to address issues facing renters with the Renters’ Rights Bill, which is in the process of being passed through Parliament.

The Renters’ Reform Coalition is a group of 20 leading organisations which have joined to lobby for changes to legislation affecting the private rented sector.

They argue that the data collected by Public Interest Lawyers shows not an absence of willingness to prosecute landlords, but of ability to do so.

Reacting to Public Interest Lawyers’ report, Tom Darling, Director of the Renters’ Reform Coalition, 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.

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“Our team of expert solicitors has significant experience in handling landlord negligence claims and anyone can visit www.publicinterestlawyers.co.uk for free guidance.”

The full data on landlord prosecutions for each council across Derbyshire can be found below – Derby City and South Derbyshire are not included.