Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that private landlords abide by landlord-tenant laws.

We have given local authorities strong powers to ensure private landlords abide by existing legislation. We strengthened these tools through the Housing and Planning Act 2016, by introducing civil penalties of up to £30,000 as an alternative to prosecution, extending rent repayment orders and introducing banning orders for the most serious and prolific offenders.

The Department is working closely with local authorities to better understand the private rented sector. However, there is currently no data available to estimate the number of people who illegally sublet accommodation or the number of private landlords who fail to abide by existing legislation.