Enforcement action for poor quality properties

We want to support good landlords who provide decent well-maintained homes. However, a small number of landlords knowingly rent out unsafe and substandard accommodation.

If we receive a report that a privately rented property is in a poor condition, we have a legal duty to investigate.

In the first instance, we contact the landlord to give them the chance to resolve the issues.

We would consider enforcement action at a later stage, if the complaint was justified, and the landlord has not addressed them properly.

If there were an imminent risk to health, we would take enforcement action straight away.

How we investigate

You can read our Housing Enforcement Policy for full details of how we investigate a complaint and how we approach enforcement.

In summary, when we receive a report, we will inspect the property under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).

We will record any issues we find and classify them as either Category 1 hazards or Category 2 hazards.

If we find Category 1 hazards, we have a legal duty to take action. If we find Category 2 hazards, we can choose what action to take, if any.

Action we will take

For Category 1 hazards, we can:

• serve a Hazard Awareness Notice
• serve an Improvement Notice
• make a Prohibition Order
• make a Demolition Order
• serve an Overcrowding Notice
• carry out remedial work ourselves and then recover the cost from the landlord

Fees for taking enforcement action

If we need to take action, we can imposes a fee on the landlord for this. We calculate the fee depending upon the nature of the case.

For example, the fee for a three-bedroom property, occupied by four people with five hazards would be £614.

Civil Penalty Notices (CPNs)

If landlords do not comply with housing safety standards, we can prosecute them in a criminal court, but this is often costly and time consuming.

Alternatively, we can issue civil financial penalties for certain offences.

Each CPN reflects the severity of the offence, the size of the landlord's portfolio, their experience in letting or management of properties, and their previous record of offending.

You can read our statement of principles, which explains how we set the level of fines.