There has been a sharp rise in fines for letting agents and landlords operating in the capital, new research shows.

Total fines for letting agents and landlords in the Greater London area has crossed the £8.6m mark for the first time, and this represents a total hike of over £500,000 in the first three months of the year.

According to Kamma, which tracked the Mayor of London’s Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker in the last three months, the total value of fines for letting agents and landlords has increased by more than £500,000, from £8.2m in December 2022 to £8.7m April 2023.

Since the start of 2023, Kamma has reported an average increase of more than £167,000 in fines every month.

This month, Camden Council continues to top the council enforcement list in terms of the number of cases brought forward, followed closely by Newham and Waltham Forest. Yet, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham still has the highest average value of fines per case at £19,800.

The increase in fines is largely due to increased enforcement efforts seen across the council and capital.

Eight new licensing schemes have launched so far this year, with at least five more planned to start in the coming quarter.

Kamma’s CEO Orla Shields commented: “Every month, Kamma reports a new record increase in fines and enforcement seen in the private rented sector (PRS), and the start of 2023 is no different with an increase of half a million pounds in fines seen in just three months suggesting that 2023 might become the biggest year on record for fines.”

Shields continued: “This month Kamma has published a Licensing report that summarises all the trends seen in the PRS, including property licensing, enforcement, and licensing fines in the last three months. This report gives agents an overview of all the latest schemes throughout the last quarter. We hope this report will provide agents with a good understanding of the current licensing landscape and help keep them up to date with new licensing scheme developments.”