Nottingham City Council has approved a major update to how it enforces laws across the private housing and letting sector, introducing new penalties for landlords, agents and leaseholders who break housing or energy efficiency rules.
The decision will see the council adopt two brand-new enforcement policies and make significant changes to an existing one. The move strengthens the city’s powers to crack down on poor standards, unlawful charges and inefficient buildings in the private rented and leasehold markets.
The first of the new policies allows the council to enforce the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022, which was introduced nationally to stop new long-term residential leases from including unfair ground rent charges. Breaches of this legislation can now result in civil penalties of up to £30,000.
The second new policy gives Trading Standards officers the authority to enforce a range of “relevant letting agency legislation”, including the Tenant Fees Act 2019, the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the Redress Schemes Order 2014 and the Client Money Protection Schemes Regulations 2019. Together, these laws govern how letting and property management agents must operate — covering issues such as membership of official redress and money protection schemes, transparency over fees, and bans on charging tenants unlawful payments. Under the new framework, first offences can result in fines of up to £5,000, rising to £30,000 for repeat breaches within five years.
The existing Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) Enforcement Policy, first adopted in 2022, has also been expanded to cover non-domestic premises as well as homes. It will now include enforcement under the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2012, which require valid Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) to be displayed when properties are advertised for sale or rent. Maximum penalties under the new framework range from £2,000 to £4,000 for domestic breaches and up to £150,000 for commercial landlords whose properties fall below the required standards.
Council officers said the move was necessary because Nottingham has a legal duty to enforce these laws locally. Without its own policies, many breaches may go unpunished, as some fall outside the remit of national enforcement bodies such as the National Trading Standards Letting Agency Team. Officials warned that inaction could lead to widespread non-compliance, leaving tenants exposed to poor conditions or unfair costs.
Enforcement will be carried out in line with the council’s overarching enforcement policy, allowing financial penalties to be used as a proportionate alternative to prosecution while keeping the option of court action for serious or repeated offences.
