Recommendation 13

We are conscious, however, that the financial position of local authorities remains extremely precarious, that this partly explains the lack of enforcement activity, and that some of these proposals will place an additional burden on local authorities’ resources. The Government is yet to carry out the new burdens assessment it promised in the White Paper, but we are aware that many of the proposals are intended to be self-financing, either through fines on non-compliant landlords or fees paid by all landlords (for the ombudsman and the property portal). It appears, then, that the biggest new burden on local authorities will be enforcement of the DHS, particularly the inspection of properties, at least during the initial phase of the new regime, before it has had time to become self-financing.