The research consultancy Perpetuity Research with Leeds City Council have developed a Toolkit for Local Authorities to accompany a report on England’s Private Rented Sector (PRS) and criminality, including serious and organised crime. The report concluded that crime within the PRS is undeniable and growing.
Fraudulent landlords exploit tenants through illegal evictions, sub-standard housing, and financial scams; while organised crime groups use rental properties for modern slavery, drug production, human trafficking, among other crimes. As for what is to be done, the report noted that landlords must take more responsibility, and enforcement agencies must improve intelligence sharing. Meanwhile, ‘criminal activity will continue to thrive in the gaps between policy, enforcement, and accountability’.
Dr Janice Goldstraw-White is Lead Economic Crime Researcher for Perpetuity Research. Her work was aired at the TECAs thought leadership summit in November ahead of the annual TECAs (tackling economic crime awards) in London, as featured in the December edition of Professional Security Magazine.
She said: “This research highlights the urgent need for systemic change in how criminality within the private rented sector is understood and addressed. Local authorities must be supported to move beyond reactive enforcement and towards a more proactive, intelligence-led approach that recognises the structural conditions enabling criminal exploitation of housing. Strengthening statutory powers, investing in specialist training, and improving collaboration between councils, police, and other partners are all essential if we are to disrupt criminal activity effectively. Without coordinated action and the right tools in place, opportunities to protect tenants, communities, and the integrity of the PRS will continue to be missed.”
The research, commissioned by Leeds City Council and funded by the government’s Pathfinder programme, showed how some landlords and letting agents are either complicit in or inadvertently facilitating criminal activity through poor property management.
Leeds city councillor Mary Harland said: “The private rented sector makes a really important contribution to life in Leeds, meeting many people’s housing needs in communities across the city. Unfortunately, private rented properties can, like any type of housing, sometimes be used to facilitate criminal activities. These problems are not unique to Leeds but the council is determined to play its part – alongside the police and other agencies – in tackling them. The PRS Pathfinder scheme, in partnership with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, has helped us both support and learn from other councils as we look to make the best possible use of relevant tools and powers.”
