The research found that licensing offences account for £14.85m of total fines recorded on the Mayor of London’s Rogue Landlord Database, making it the largest category of enforcement action.
Kamma said there are now 162 active licensing schemes operating across London, with a third introduced within the past 12 months. The firm estimates that 88% of London is now covered by some form of property licensing, while 28 of the capital’s 32 boroughs operate discretionary licensing schemes.
The analysis also found that the average fine issued to a managing agent has increased by 14.46% since November 2025 to £7,300 per offence.
In one recent case, Haringey Council fined a landlord and managing agent a combined £12,500 for operating an unlicensed property in Tottenham.
Waltham Forest recorded the highest total value of fines at £5.9m across 714 cases, while Camden brought the highest number of enforcement cases at 964.
Kensington & Chelsea recorded the highest average penalty value, with fines averaging more than £108,000 per case.
Kamma said councils are increasingly combining prosecutions with support for tenant Rent Repayment Orders. Tower Hamlets has secured more than £1.3m for tenants through legal support at tribunal hearings, while Camden and Islington operate prosecution and tenant support processes alongside one another.
The firm said the Renters’ Rights Act has further increased the financial risks of non compliance, with maximum civil penalties rising from £30,000 to £40,000 per offence. Tenants can also now claim up to 24 months of rent through Rent Repayment Orders.
Orla Shields, CEO at Kamma, said: “The £25 million figure is striking, but the real story is how councils are enforcing. Camden and Islington are running a prosecutorial pipeline that turns council convictions into near automatic Rent Repayment Orders for tenants. Tower Hamlets is providing free legal representation.
“With 162 schemes now active and the Renters’ Rights Act in force, the compliance environment has fundamentally changed. For agents in particular, the assumption that licensing complexity is someone else's problem is one the fine data clearly no longer supports.”
