Worcester City Council has welcomed ?70,746 of government funding to enforce the Renters' Rights Act, which came into force on 1 May 2026. The council will use the money to expand its housing officer capacity and take enforcement action against non-compliant landlords and agents.
Funding and purpose. The Leader of Worcester City Council has welcomed news that the Government is providing ?70,746 funding to the authority to support its role in enforcing new rights for renters.
New rules for renters and their landlords came into force on 1 May 2026, including a ban on so-called "no fault" evictions and rental bidding, and measures to stop landlords discriminating against tenants on benefits or who have children. These are all part of the first phase of the new Renters' Rights Act, which requires councils to take action against landlords and their agents who do not follow the new rules.
How Worcester will use the funding. The City Council has a vital role to play in making the Act work, and the new funding means the council can have more housing officers in place to advise and support both renters and landlords to understand the new rights that tenants now have. It will also assist in taking enforcement action against landlords who break the rules. The council has existing powers to investigate housing standards and issue civil penalties; those powers are now supplemented by the RRA's enhanced enforcement toolkit.
Phase 2 and beyond. Phase two, in late 2026, will see the introduction of a new Ombudsman to support tenants and landlords to resolve disputes more quickly, alongside a new private rented sector database to provide councils with better quality data to support their enforcement. Worcester will also be expected to enforce the Decent Homes Standard for the PRS when that phase of the RRA is brought into force. Landlords in Worcester should note that the combination of dedicated funding and new RRA enforcement powers means the risk of civil penalties and Rent Repayment Orders is materially higher from May 2026 than at any previous point.
Maximum civil penalty and RROs. From 1 May 2026, the maximum civil penalty for a single housing offence is ?40,000. Under the RRA, tenants and councils may now apply for Rent Repayment Orders covering up to 24 months' rent across a broader range of qualifying offences including those under the new Act. Worcester's additional enforcement funding is a signal that the council intends to deploy these powers actively.
Action required
Review compliance with all Phase 1 RRA requirements: abolition of Section 21, prohibition on rental bidding, Written Statement of Terms, and anti- discrimination duties. Worcester's enforcement team is now funded and actively monitoring compliance.
Effective
2026-05-01
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