Nottingham City Council has approved major updates to its enforcement framework for the private housing and letting sector, enabling its Trading Standards officers authority to enforce key 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.

These laws, the first adopted by a local authority in this country, cover mandatory memberships of redress and client‑money protection schemes, transparent fee disclosures, and bans on unlawful payments by tenants. The policy sets first‑offence fines up to £5,000, and repeat breaches (within five years) can attract penalties up to £30,000.

The new measures also introduce penalties for landlords and leaseholders who fail to meet housing standards or comply with energy efficiency regulations.

One of the newly adopted policies enables the council to enforce the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022, which bans unfair ground rent charges in new long-term residential leases. Under this framework, breaches may result in civil penalties of up to £30,000.

The council has also expanded its Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) Enforcement Policy—originally introduced in 2022—to cover both residential and non-domestic properties. The revised policy now includes enforcement of the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2012, which require a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) to be displayed when properties are listed for sale or rent.

Penalties under the updated policy range from £2,000 to £4,000 for domestic non-compliance, and up to £150,000 for commercial landlords whose properties fail to meet the required standards.

These updates significantly extend Nottingham City Council’s regulatory powers and underline its commitment to improving standards and ensuring compliance across the private rented and leasehold housing sectors.

Nottingham City Council says the new enforcement powers are essential to meet its legal obligations, warning that without local policies in place, many breaches could go unchecked. Some offences fall beyond the scope of national bodies like the National Trading Standards Letting Agency Team, meaning they would otherwise go unenforced.

Council officials cautioned that failing to act could lead to widespread non-compliance, potentially exposing tenants to substandard housing or unlawful charges.

The new approach will be guided by the council’s overarching enforcement framework, which allows for financial penalties to be issued as a proportionate alternative to prosecution. However, legal action will remain an option in cases involving serious or repeated breaches.