Bristol City Council is consulting on a two-tier penalty system that would increase fines by 20% for landlords who breach regulations when housing tenants classified as vulnerable, including asylum seekers, people with substance dependencies, young adults, children, and those on low incomes.
The proposed measures would increase standard penalties for failing to provide safety certificates or declarations on request from £12,000 to £14,400 where tenants meet the council’s vulnerability criteria. The authority also plans to apply an additional 10% uplift to penalties where landlords charge rents above Local Housing Allowance rates.
Industry concerns
Paul Shamplina of Landlord Action stated that while landlords must comply with safety and licensing rules, the premium could create an “endless escalation” of fines. “Measures like this could further reduce the supply of landlords willing to accommodate vulnerable tenants,” he said, adding that the approach “sets a worrying precedent.”
The National Residential Landlords Association told the Telegraph it is unaware of any other local authorities adopting a similar approach under the new Renters’ Rights Act powers.
Council justification
Tom Gilchrist, a housing officer at Bristol City Council, said the aim is to improve standards by “levying quite significant penalties” on non-compliant landlords. He acknowledged that “for some landlords, it might push them out of the market,” but suggested that larger portfolio landlords could replace them.
If approved, Bristol would become the first UK local authority to implement differentiated penalty levels based on tenant vulnerability status under the Renters’ Rights Act framework.