Enforcement Watch: Edition 006, April 2026

This Month at a Glance

April 2026 was the final month before Renters' Rights Act commencement. On 14 April, the government announced £41 million in additional enforcement funding distributed to 317 English local authorities to support implementation of the Act's statutory enforcement duty. This brought total pre-commencement enforcement support to £60 million.

Simultaneously, a survey by Freedom of Information specialists found that only five of the 20 major English councils surveyed confirmed operational readiness for the 1 May commencement date: Liverpool, Sheffield, Newcastle, Bristol, and Brighton & Hove. The remaining fifteen indicated that full implementation would take until late 2026 or early 2027.

Brighton & Hove Cabinet approved its Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy on 23 April 2026. Kensington & Chelsea closed a public consultation on its draft enforcement policy the same week, with finalisation expected in May.

The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet was published on GOV.UK in advance of commencement, triggering the service obligation for landlords with existing tenancies: all named tenants on pre-1 May tenancies must be served by 31 May 2026.

Cases on Record

Derby, England. Derby City Council's enforcement programme continued. A further prosecution under the Housing Act 2004 for failure to produce documents was heard at Derby Magistrates' Court. This was the third Derby prosecution in four months, reflecting a sustained campaign targeting landlords who have not responded to council information requests.

England (tribunal). The First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) published a decision upholding a civil penalty of £40,700 for operating an unlicensed HMO with absent firefighting equipment, no emergency lighting, inadequate fire exits, and two rooms below minimum size. The penalty was upheld on appeal. The landlord's management company attributed the failure to an administrative error arising during the Covid-19 period. The Tribunal did not accept this as a reasonable excuse for prolonged non-compliance.

England (tribunal). A separate Tribunal decision arising in the same period involved a penalty in excess of £5,000 for an administrative error on an HMO licence application. Licensing experts cited the case as evidence of councils using minor application errors as grounds for financial penalties rather than focusing enforcement resources on substantive housing standards failures.

Cardiff, Wales. Cardiff Council issued enforcement notices to landlords operating properties under occupation contracts where written statements of terms had not been issued or were non-compliant with the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 format. Failure to provide a compliant written statement is a breach of the Act, and the Welsh Government confirmed that enforcement action against non-compliant landlords would increase following the anti-discrimination regulations due in June 2026.

Regulatory Shifts

£41 million enforcement funding: announced 14 April 2026. The government distributed £41 million in additional enforcement funding to 317 English councils in advance of Renters' Rights Act commencement. Funding is intended to support recruitment of housing enforcement officers, development of enforcement policies, and investment in case management systems. Combined with the £19 million distributed earlier in 2025/26, total pre-commencement support reached £60 million.

Brighton & Hove enforcement policy: approved 23 April 2026. Brighton & Hove City Council's Cabinet approved the Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy 2026, making it one of the first councils nationally to formalise its approach to post-RRA enforcement. The policy sets out a tiered methodology for civil penalty calculation based on severity, duration, and harm. Brighton & Hove confirmed operational readiness for 1 May commencement.

Kensington & Chelsea enforcement consultation: closed 26 April 2026. The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea ran a public consultation on its draft Housing Enforcement Policy 2026, setting out how the borough would exercise new enforcement powers under the RRA, including civil penalties and criminal prosecution thresholds. Finalisation is expected in May 2026.

RRA Information Sheet published on GOV.UK. The government published the prescribed Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet in advance of 1 May 2026 commencement. All landlords in England with assured tenancies predating 1 May must serve the current version of the sheet on every named tenant by 31 May 2026. Non-service carries a civil penalty of up to £7,000 and may invalidate subsequent possession notices.

Croydon selective licensing confirmed for 1 September 2026. Croydon Council confirmed a new selective licensing scheme commencing 1 September 2026 covering selected wards. Affected landlords should apply before the commencement date.

Borough Watch

Brighton & Hove. Enforcement policy approved 23 April 2026. Council confirmed as one of five nationally with operational readiness for 1 May RRA commencement. Enforcement officers being recruited to support post-commencement activity.

Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. Enforcement policy consultation closed 26 April 2026. Finalised policy expected to set out penalty calculation methodology for offences under the new RRA framework. RBKC confirmed it was working towards operational readiness.

Hackney, London. New additional and selective licensing scheme designations confirmed ahead of commencement on 1 May 2026. Hackney's existing selective licensing scheme was simultaneously extended for a further five years from 29 April 2026. Landlords with Hackney properties must hold licences under both schemes where applicable.

Harrow, London. Edgeware and Roxeth selective licensing schemes due to commence 2 May 2026. Applications remained open through April. Landlords with properties in these wards were reminded that operation without a licence from commencement carries civil penalty exposure of up to £40,000 from 1 May 2026 under the new RRA ceiling.

What to Watch Next Month

1 May 2026: Renters' Rights Act commencement. The most significant date for the private rented sector since the Housing Act 1988. Section 21 abolished, all tenancies periodic, civil penalty ceiling raised to £40,000, rent repayment orders doubled to 24 months, and a statutory enforcement duty placed on councils.

31 May 2026: Information Sheet deadline. All landlords in England with pre-1 May tenancies must serve the Information Sheet on all named tenants. Civil penalty of up to £7,000 for non-compliance.

First RRA civil penalty notices. Liverpool, Sheffield, Newcastle, Bristol, and Brighton & Hove are the confirmed operationally ready councils. The first penalty notices under the new RRA offence categories are expected in May and June 2026.

Landlord Insights — landlordinsights.co.uk — Sourced to primary legislation, tribunal decisions, and official council enforcement publications. Not legal advice.