Find out about housing standards and enforcement
We have extensive powers to deal with unsatisfactory, insanitary or unsuitable housing conditions. The principle pieces of legislation that apply are:
- The Housing Acts of 1985 & 2004
- The Housing, Grants, Construction & Regeneration Act 1989
- The Building Act 1984
- The Public Health Acts of 1936 & 1961
- The Environmental Protection Act 1990
- The Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949
In each case the Council will consider all the relevant information and evidence before deciding which of the following enforcement action is appropriate:
- To take informal action
- To issue a formal caution
- To issue a formal notice
- To prosecute
- To impose a civil penalty
Central Government has promoted the Enforcement Concordat, which sets out what business, and others being regulated, can expect from enforcement officers. By adopting this, we have committed to best practice in enforcement procedures. We have also adopted our own generic enforcement policy which sets out the general principles that it will follow in relation to enforcement and prosecution.
Private sector housing enforcement policy
The standards within the Enforcement Concordat and our own generic enforcement policy can be viewed below: