Purpose

Legislative changes effective from the 27th of December 2025 and 1st of May 2026 will give additional powers and place additional duties on Local Authorities to enforce relevant legislation concerning the regulation of privately rented housing within their boundaries.

In order for the Council to comply with this legislation and uphold duties under the selective licensing scheme, the enforcement, civil penalty policies and schemes of delegation require alterations to ensure that duties are fulfilled effectively and lawfully.

Decision

RESOLVED:

1. To approve the Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy attached as Appendix A to this report.
2. To approve the Civil Penalty Notice Policy attached as Appendix B to this report.
3. To delegate authority to the Group Director of Housing Climate and Economy to make any amendments to the policies (mentioned in 3.1 and 3.2 of this report) required to ensure compliance with legislation, policy or good practice.

Reasons for decision

As a result of changes in legislation and applicable statutory guidance, the Council is required to update its housing enforcement and civil penalties policies.

It is recommended that the Council adopts the policies at appendices A and B located in the published Report Pack, which are based on the model policies produced by the Association of Chief Environmental Health Officers in England, as representing best practice.