EVICT Talk with Dr. Caroline Hunter and Dr. Kit Colliver – Criminal Landlordism and Housing Justice in England’s Private Rented Sector

November 26th, 2024

The UK’s Private Rented Sector (PRS) has expanded significantly over the past 40 years. As the availability of social rental housing has dwindled due to policies like Right to Buy, the PRS has played an increasingly important role in housing vulnerable populations. This shift has created opportunities for exploitation, both of the physical state of properties and the tenants residing in them. Concerns about this trajectory have prompted some government intervention – for example, the introduction of Banning Orders aimed at curbing ‘rogue landlords’. However, much about the nature and scope of criminality within the UK’s PRS remains under-explored.

Dr. Caroline Hunter and Dr. Kit Colliver presented their work titled ‘Criminal landlordism and housing justice in England’s private rented sector’. They presented data from their project, one of four work packages in the ESRC-funded project ‘Understanding criminal landlordism in the private rented sector and co-producing solutions’, which looks at legislative mechanisms supporting housing justice in this area. In particular, it focuses on the role of local authorities and the courts in enforcing housing law, which typically falls outside the jurisdiction of the police.

About the speakers

Dr. Caroline Hunter is a Professor of Housing Law at York Law School. Her research focus is on the boundaries between law, policy and practice, particularly in the area of housing policy and law. She is Principal Investigator of the ‘Housing Justice’ work package in the ESRC-funded project ‘Understanding criminal landlordism in the private rented sector and co-producing solutions’.

Dr. Kit Colliver is a Research Associate at York Law School. Their research interests include the relationships between local authorities, housing policy and social inequalities. They are responsible for day-to-day delivery of the ‘Housing Justice’ work package in the ESRC-funded project ‘Understanding criminal landlordism in the private rented sector and co-producing solutions’.

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