A CRACKDOWN on rogue landlords is not enough to make up for “eight years of failure” by the government, Labour shadow housing secretary John Healey said today.

Landlords convicted of offences such as leasing overcrowded properties, fire and gas safety offences and unlawful eviction will be added to a new national database that went live today.

The government has also introduced new banning orders or prevent offenders from renting out accommodation for a period ranging from 12 months to life.

The recent English Housing Survey, published in January, found that there were 4.7 million households in the private rental sector in England, accounting for 20 per cent of all households, and that the sector has more than doubled in size since 2002.

The new database, which will be available on the government website, can be used by councils to help target enforcement action against dodgy landlords letting overcrowded, squalid or dangerous accommodation.

Councils must record details of any landlord or property agent who has received a banning order and any landlords ignoring a banning order will face criminal sanctions, including up to six months imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

But Mr Healey said: “After eight years of failure on housing, this is yet another half measure that will do little to help private renters.

“Since 2010, Conservative ministers have blocked Labour’s proposals to crack down on rogue landlords and stopped Labour councils from bringing in licensing schemes to drive up standards.

“The next Labour government will help renters with new consumer rights, longer tenancies and controls on their rents.”

Eileen Short from Defend Council Housing dismissed the announcement as “window dressing,” saying that it raised “the nasty threat of yet more racist policing of immigration status.”

She said: “A database without staff and resources to inspect, enquire and enforce improvement orders is not going to bring change.”

Ms Short pointed out that “at least 90” local authority or housing association-owned or managed blocks had failed fire safety tests after the Grenfell fire, asking: “Are all these landlords to go on the 'rogue' list because ministers will not fund the vital fire safety work as they promised?

“It’s time for action not words.  Instead, subsidies and tax bungs keep going to developers, lenders and private landlords, while renters and those desperate for a home keep paying the price.”