The Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 specify requirements in relation to a range of matters, such as structural repair, sanitary facilities, heating, ventilation, natural light and the safety of gas, oil and electrical supplies. With very limited exemptions, these apply to all private rented residential accommodation.
All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties, regardless of tenancy type, comply with these regulations. Responsibility for the enforcement of the Regulations rests with the relevant local authority.
If an inspection identifies that a property has been found to be non-compliant with the Regulations, it is a matter for the Local Authority to determine the necessary and appropriate actions to take, including the issuing of an Improvement Letter, Improvement Notice and Prohibition Notice, and the initiation of legal action.
Data in respect of the number of Letters and Notices issued and the legal actions initiated by local authorities in 2019 and to the end of June 2020 is set out in the table below. Q3 data is being collated.
Year
|
Improvement Letters Issued
|
Improvement Notices Issued
|
Prohibition Notices Issued
|
Legal Action Initiated
|
2019
|
17,415
|
1,911
|
95
|
56
|
2020
|
5,573
|
777
|
19
|
1
|
Pandemic restrictions have impacted on both inspections and enforcement activity in 2020.