The research was carried out for Shelter by YouGov via a survey of 2,006 privately renting adults and extrapolated using English Housing Survey figures for privately renting households.

The landlord had illegally altered buildings that he rented out as HMOs and then subsequently failed to comply with enforcement notices served on him by Hillingdon Council in London.

The Commons' library publishes these briefings in support of the work of MPs and parliamentary staff and this briefing provides a potted history and general overview of selective licensing from 2007 to 2023.

The property came within the council's additional licensing scheme but did not have a licence and "the only evidence provided by the [landlord] was a two-page witness statement" in which he said he shared the accommodation with the other occupants. He also did not attend the hearing.

The licence holder was also fined an additional £800 for not being a member of a recognised property redress scheme.

The licensing scheme went live in October last year with the undiscounted fee set at £1,090 and the council is now reminding private rented sector landlords with properties within the scheme areas that "early bird" fee discounts of 10% will end on 10th April.

The council had received a complaint about poor conditions in a private rented property including no fixed heating provision, no provision for hot water, inadequate water services, no smoke detectors and a cooker that was badly connected and which didn't conform to current standards.

The two bed flat in Finchley, London, was advertised for auction with photographs showing much of its cannabis growing paraphernalia still inside.

We previously reported on the Court of Appeal decision in the rent repayment order (RRO) case of Rakusen v Jepson & Ors. Both the First and the Upper Tier tribunals had decided in favour of the applicant tenants but the Court of Appeal, and now also the Supreme Court, decided in favour of the long leaseholder, Mr Rakusen.