Local Councils have several different roles in relation to private rented accommodation. These include:

Regulating standards in rented accommodation.
Councils are expected to ensure that rented property meets certain standards of repair and has certain facilities available. If a property fails to meet legal standards, notice can be given requiring work to be carried out within a given period. Failure to meet the requirements of the notice can (in extreme cases) lead to the property being closed and not re-let until the work is carried out.

Renovation
Renovation grants are available in certain circumstances. Both tenants and landlords can apply for them. They can be used to bring a property up to the standard of fitness that the law demands.

Homelessness
Councils are expected to try to prevent homelessness. If this is not possible, the Council may have a duty to house those who become homeless and in every case have a legal duty to offer advice and assistance. Advising landlords and tenants during tenancies is likely to help prevent problems that lead to the tenant's eviction.

Paying Housing Benefit
Housing Benefit is the benefit that can pay people's rent. Most benefits are dealt with by the Benefits Agency or Job Centre. Payment of Housing Benefit (and Council Tax Benefit) is the responsibility of the local Council in each area.

Protection from Harassment and Illegal Eviction
If a landlord harasses a tenant or tries to evict them without following the correct procedure, it is the Council that has the power to prosecute. In many cases the Council's first contact with a landlord may be when the tenant asks to be housed because they are being evicted. The Council can only house them if the tenancy has been legally ended. If this is not the case (or more often, if the tenant has not brought copies of tenancy documents with them) the Council staff must contact the landlord (or landlord's agent) to check that the correct procedure is being followed.