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New HMO rules for landlords set to take effect from October 2018

The government will implement new regulations for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) from 1 October 2018 after a mandatory HMO licensing extension was confirmed in Parliament last week, which spells big changes for some landlords.

It has been more than two years since the issue of mandatory licensing for HMO properties was discussed by the government, and a date has now been set for the new rules to come into effect. It will mean that mandatory conditions and licences will apply to all HMOs that fall under the stated criteria, and the landlords who own them, further tightening up the market and minimising the number of unfit properties and rogue landlords in operation.

What are the licensing changes?

The new mandatory licensing policy from October 2018 will apply to HMOs that are occupied by five or more people, comprising individuals living in two or more separate households – frequently but not exclusive to groups of cohabiting adults – regardless of the number of storeys. The property is also classed as an HMO if it is not made up of self-contained flats, the people who live there treat it as their main residence, and two or more of the occupying households share one or more of the basic amenities. More detailed information can be found here.

Owners of properties that fall under the above criteria will need to obtain licences when the new regulations take effect, which is expected to bring an additional 177,000 HMOs under the mandatory licensing scheme in England. Where selective or additional schemes are already in place for landlords, which accounts for about 20,000 HMOs, the new scheme will replace existing licences.

Current licensing rules already apply to large HMOs, where five or more people rent rooms in the property from more than one household, if the building is more than three storeys high.

What if landlords don’t comply?

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has confirmed that landlords are legally required to submit their applications for mandatory HMO licensing by the deadline of 1 October 2018, with no allowance for a grace period after this date. The government is expected to publish guidance in the coming months on the issue to make local authorities aware of the obligation, but landlords who fail to apply for the correct licence will be in breach of the law.

Will there be any other changes?

Implementing a minimum room size rule has been part of the talks, and more specific details on this are still to be announced. The minimum sizes will apply to rooms that are slept in, and local authorities will be required to enforce this by specifying appropriate rooms in HMOs, and the number of people allowed to occupy them. If the conditions are breached, the local authority will issue a warning to the landlord to remedy the situation, after which point legal action can be taken.

Another condition of the licences will relate to refuse disposal and storage facilities, with minimum numbers of bins and storage facilities for waste expected to be set out by the government.

Source: Buy Association
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New HMO Regulations for Mandatory Licensing – Effective 1st Oct 2018

Statutory Instruments
2018 No. 221

Housing, England
The Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Description) (England) Order 2018

Made

20th February 2018

Laid before Parliament

23rd February 2018

Coming into force

1st October 2018

The Secretary of State makes the following Order in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 55(3) and 250(2)(a) and (b) of the Housing Act 2004(1).
Citation and Commencement

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Description) (England) Order 2018.

(2) This Order comes into force on 1st October 2018.
Application

2. This Order applies in relation to an HMO in England(2).
Interpretation

3. In this Order “the Act” means the Housing Act 2004.
Description of HMOs prescribed by the Secretary of State

4. An HMO is of a prescribed description for the purpose of section 55(2)(a) of the Act if it—

(a)is occupied by five or more persons;

(b)is occupied by persons living in two or more separate households; and

(c)meets—

(i)the standard test under section 254(2) of the Act;

(ii)the self-contained flat test under section 254(3) of the Act but is not a purpose-built flat situated in a block comprising three or more self-contained flats; or

(iii)the converted building test under section 254(4) of the Act.
Transitional Provision

5.—(1) A licence issued under Part 3 of the Act has effect as if issued under Part 2 of the Act in respect of an HMO that—

(a)is licensed under Part 3 prior to 1st October 2018, and

(b)is required to be licensed under Part 2 from that date.
Revocation

6. The Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Descriptions) (England) Order 2006(3) is revoked.
Review

7.—(1) The Secretary of State must from time to time—

(a)carry out a review of the regulatory provision contained in this Order, and

(b)publish a report setting out the conclusions of the review.

(2) The first report must be published before 6th April 2023.

(3) Subsequent reports must be published at intervals not exceeding five years.

(4) Section 30(4) of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 requires that a report published under this article must, in particular—

(a)set out the objectives intended to be achieved by the regulatory provision referred to in paragraph 1(a),

(b)assess the extent to which those objectives are achieved,

(c)assess whether those objectives remain appropriate, and

(d)if those objectives remain appropriate, assess the extent to which they could be achieved in another way which involves less onerous regulatory provision.

(5) In this article, “regulatory provision” has the same meaning as in sections 28 to 32 of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015(4).

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government

Heather Wheeler

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

20th February 2018

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order prescribes a description of a house in multiple occupation (“HMO”) to which Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004 (“the Act”) applies. Under section 61(1) of the Act every HMO to which Part 2 of the Act applies must be licensed unless it is subject to either a temporary exemption notice under section 62 of the Act or an interim or final management order under Chapter 1 of Part 4 of the Act.

The Order applies to HMOs in England but does not apply to converted blocks of flats, to which section 257 of the Act applies. These are buildings that have been converted into and consist of self-contained flats where the building work undertaken in connection with the conversion did not comply with the appropriate building standards and still does not comply with them, and less than two-thirds of the self-contained flats are owner-occupied.

Article 1 makes a commencement provision.

Article 4 prescribes a description of HMOs for the purpose of section 55(2)(a) of the Act. The standard test relates to HMOs which comprise of one or more units of living accommodation which do not consist of a self-contained flat or flats. The self-contained flat test relates to HMOs which comprise of a self-contained, purpose-built flat situated in a block comprising of no more than two self- contained flats (whether or not the block also contains non-residential premises). The converted building test relates to HMOs which are converted buildings.

Article 5 makes a transitional provision.

Article 6 revokes The Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Descriptions) (England) Order 2006 which this Order replaces.

Article 7 makes provision for the review of these Regulations at the end of the period of 5 years beginning with the date on which they come into force.

An impact assessment has been prepared in relation to this Order. The assessment will be placed in the Library of each House of Parliament and made available on www.gov.uk. Copies may be obtained from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF.
(1)

2004 c.34. For the definition of appropriate national authority see section 261(1) of the Act.
(2)

For the meaning of HMO see sections 77 and 254 to 259 of the Act.
(3)

S.I 2006/371
(4)

2015 c. 26. See section 32.

 

Source: Legislation.gov.uk

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Agency prosecuted for breaking HMO and licensing regulations

A lettings agency apparently trying to get around HMO regulations has been prosecuted for licensing and housing offences.

Easy Let Agency let out properties from landlords in order to re-rent them as Houses in Multiple Occupation without the landlords’ knowledge.

Staff from the firm, which also operates under the name Focus Property Management Limited, were hit with fines in two court hearings at Willesden, north London.

In the first case, the owners of a five bedroom terrace house in Willesden, let out their property to Claudio Crisafulli who was working as a freelance estate agent for Easy Let.

Crisafulli then illegally sublet the house as an HMO behind his landlords’ backs.

Brent council’s licensing enforcement team became involved when neighbours complained about lots of people coming and going from the property. Investigating officers found it difficult to track down the people responsible because Easy Let Agency was listed under a false address.

Now Easy Let company director, Marcio Da Silva has been fined £2,000 for failure to licence and a further £2,000 for breach of management regulations as well as £1,670 in costs. Fellow director, Marcio Auriello Do Prado, was fined £3,000 for failure to licence and £3,000 for breach of management regulations alongside £1,670 fines.

Claudio Crisafulli was fined £400 for failure to licence and £400 for a breach of management regulations on top of £40 costs. The agency was also slapped with a £5,000 fine and £170 in costs. The total fines and costs for the case amounted to £19,180.

In a separate sentence hearing, Focus Property Management Limited was sentenced to a total of £20,229 in fines for management regulation and licensing breaches for another rented property in Willesden Green.

Source: Letting Agent Today

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Landmark ruling against landlord in ‘back garden shanty town’ case

A council has claimed a legal first after it used the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) against landlords for breaches of licensing conditions, in a landmark ruling.

A Crown Court judge ruled yesterday that POCA could be used to recover criminal assets that a family obtained from cramming 31 tenants into a single four-bedroom property.

The man who collected around £112,000 in rent from the tenants may also be ordered to repay any financial benefit he gained under the same POCA ruling.

The case centres around the Shah family, who contravened the Management of HMO Regulations 2006 and breached licensing conditions as a result of squeezing so many tenants into a property on Napier Road in Wembley, London.

Brent Council has previously described the property (pictured) as a “Slumdog Millionaire-esque shanty home”.

Council officers discovered one woman living in lean-to shack next to the four-bedroom property during a raid in July 2016.

The shack had no lighting or heating and was made out of wood offcuts, pallets and tarpaulin.

Harsha Shah, daughter Chandni Shah and brother-in-law Sanjay Shah now face paying a confiscation order for financial benefit as a result of those breaches.

The order also covers repairs they neglected to fix and financial gain made from their racketeering.

It comes after Sanjay Shah lost his appeal against the charge of aiding and abetting the breaches of a term of the selective licence attached to the property on January 5 this year.

He also lost his appeal against his conviction for contraventions of the Management of HMO Regulations 2006.

Jaydipkumar Valand, who has previously been described in some press reports as an agent, and who collected rent from tenants for the Shah family in 2015 may also be ordered to repay any financial benefits he made.

Cllr Harbi Farah, cabinet member for housing and welfare reform, said: “This is a landmark legal decision for our zero tolerance policy against rogue landlords.

“We will use all the powers we have to put an end to tenants living in misery, and this includes the Proceeds of Crime Act.

“We want to work with landlords and agents to improve the standard of living in the private rented sector, and we urge those responsible to licence their properties and comply with licensing conditions.”

Edmund Robb, counsel from Prospect Law who represented Brent in the hearing, said: “This judgment represents a landmark ruling from the Crown Court which allows local authorities to initiate confiscation proceedings under POCA 2002 for criminal offences linked to safety and amenity regulations.

“Rogue landlords cannot now hide behind previous case law to avoid being required by the courts to pay back rents and other benefits obtained whilst their tenants lived in squalid and dangerous conditions.”

Source: Property Industry Eye

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Leading PropTech entrepreneur backs stricter HMO regulations

The chief operating officer of a leading PropTech company says government proposals to increase mandatory licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation provides an opportunity to crack down on “criminal landlords” operating in the private rental sector.

Neil Cobbold of automated rental payment provider PayProp says the new rules could also boost living standards for private renters while simultaneously reducing the number of overcrowded properties.

Under proposals from the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government the current HMO licensing – applicable to properties with three or more storeys – will be extended to all properties occupied by five or more people from two or more households.

It has been estimated that the rules will bring an additional 160,000 homes under mandatory HMO licensing – around 60,000 properties are now included.

Cobbold says that while landlord licensing schemes are often criticised as money-making projects for local councils, bringing all HMOs under one framework appears logical.

“With HMOs adapting and more of these now two storeys or fewer, it’s important that the legislation is brought up to date. Overcrowding has become one of the biggest issues in the rental sector and this increased regulation could contribute significantly towards solving the problem” he says.

There is currently no date set for the introduction of extending HMO licensing, which has yet to be formally agreed by Parliament. However, the government says it is hoping to enact legislation later this year.

Other outstanding lettings legislation and policies include the ban on upfront letting agent fees, the movement to count private rent payments towards tenants’ credit scores, the reform of the leasehold sector and the national blacklist of criminal landlords and letting agents.

Cobbold adds: “For all these measures to have a long-term positive impact on the industry, there must be appropriate action and enforcement. The more proposals that are made and consultations carried out, the more we risk further delay to policies.”

PayProp recently encouraged letting agents to respond to as many consultations as possible, noting that as part of the consultation for the proposed HMO measures, only 11 of 395 responses were from letting agents – representing less than three per cent of the total number of respondents.

“It’s unlikely that the government will stop regulating and monitoring the rental sector so closely in 2018, so it’s vitally important that when presented with the opportunity, letting agents have their say and do their utmost to shape future legislation that benefits all parties,” Cobbold concludes.

Source: Letting Agent Today

HMO
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HMO National Minimum Room Size and Suitability

The government has now published its response to its consultation on HMOs and residential property licensing. Alongside proposals to extend mandatory licensing, the government has announced that it will proceed with introducing a national minimum room size for bedrooms in licensed HMOs. The proposals, which were detailed in the government’s earlier response paper, will prohibit landlords from letting rooms in HMOs to a single adult where the usable floor space is less than 6.51sqm and 10.22sqm for a room occupied by two adults. It will be mandatory for a HMO licence to include a condition that states the maximum number of persons who may occupy each specific room in a property as sleeping accommodation.

Room size in HMOs is frequently a hotly disputed issue between local authorities and landlords and has resulted in a number of senior court decisions in recent years. This blog looks at some of the issues surrounding room size and the potential impact of a national minimum room size.

Currently there are no mandatory HMO conditions or prescribed standards relating to room size

The Housing Act 2004 provides for certain mandatory conditions that must be included in a HMO licence. For example, a licence must contain a condition requiring the licence holder to produce a gas safety certificate (if applicable) and ensure smoke alarms are installed. While there is a power for the Secretary of State to add further mandatory conditions, since the Housing Act 2004 was enacted there have been no mandatory conditions relating to room size. Local authorities regulate room size in HMOs by relying on their discretionary powers to impose licence conditions which restrict or prohibit the use or occupation of particular parts of the property.

The Housing Act 2004 does require the local authority to be satisfied that the house is reasonably suitable for occupation by not more than the maximum number of households or persons or that it can be made so suitable by the imposition of conditions. The local authority cannot be satisfied of this if the house fails to meet prescribed standards for occupation. Again, while a number of standards have been prescribed by regulations, there has never been a prescribed standard relating to bedroom size.

The government intends to change this by both prescribing a minimum room size standard and making it mandatory for licences to include a condition stipulating which rooms in the HMO are suitable for sleeping accommodation and the maximum number of persons who can sleep in each room.

Local Authority Standards – Clark v Manchester City Council

Because there are no statutory prescribed room size standards many local authorities have developed their own guidance setting out the local authority’s view on what size standards it considers acceptable in HMOs. This is to both assist local authority officers with their decision-making and to advise landlords. The problem with this is that local authorities frequently fall into the trap of treating their guidance as if it is a statutory prescribed standard and granting or refusing to grant licences on the basis of whether bedrooms meet their own standards rather than considering the suitability of the property as a whole.

This issue was highlighted in the key Upper Tribunal case of Clark v Manchester City Council [2015] UKUT 129 (LC). In that case the Upper Tribunal concluded that the Council’s adoption of mandatory minimum size standards for bedrooms in HMOs was unlawful. While local authorities were perfectly entitled to produce guidance on room size and while their views should be given weight by the tribunal, local authorities were not able to apply their standards as if they had statutory force. Ultimately the question is whether the property as a whole is reasonably suitable for occupation by a particular number of people. Clark made it clear that it is not permissible for local authorities to automatically prohibit the use of certain bedrooms simply because they fall below the standards set out in their own guidance.

Is the type of occupant relevant to room size?

The type of occupant has also been shown to be relevant in room size cases. This was illustrated in the case of Nottingham City Council v Dominic Parr and Trevor Parr Associates Ltd [2017] EWCA Civ 188which was heard last year in the Court of Appeal. The Council’s guidance suggested that 8sqm was an acceptable bedroom size and the licences issued prohibited the use of two attic rooms until the usable floor space had been increased. The First-Tier Tribunal had deleted the condition and imposed an alternative condition that the rooms could be used by full-time student who resided in the room for a maximum of 10 months of the year. This was upheld by the Upper Tribunal and the Court of Appeal concluded that there was nothing unlawful about a HMO licence restricting occupation of a bedroom to students only. The Supreme Court has granted permission to Nottingham City Council to appeal the decision.

How will the introduction of a minimum room size standard change things?

First, it will mean that landlords will have to stop letting rooms that fall below the nationally prescribed standard. If they do not then they will be in breach of licence condition and could be prosecuted by the local authority or alternatively receive a civil penalty under the new Housing and Planning Act 2016 provisions. Rooms below the prescribed standard that have previously been found suitable for occupation will no longer be capable of being let separately as sleeping accommodation by any person aged over 10. It is important to note that the new mandatory condition will not affect existing licences but will only apply to licences granted on or after the commencement of the new regulations. This includes renewals of existing licences. Even then there will be transitional arrangements to allow landlords affected by the new rules time to reduce the number of persons in occupation.

Second, local authorities will continue to be entitled, and are encouraged, to produce their own standards complete with figures which set out what size the local authority considers acceptable for sleeping accommodation. This can be higher than the national minimum. For example, in the case of Parrdiscussed above Nottingham City Council were of the view that 8sqm is an appropriate room size. As the government made clear in its response paper ‘the minimum room size is simply a standard below which a room cannot be used as sleeping accommodation. It is not intended to be the norm or the lowest common denominator.’ However, what local authorities are not able to do is apply their standards as if they have statutory force and automatically prohibit the use of rooms that fall below their own standards. To that extent, the decision of Clark will continue to be relevant in room size disputes.

Third, it will not mean that rooms that meet the new minimum size will automatically be deemed suitable for occupation. In fact, if applied correctly, the introduction of a national minimum room size should have limited impact on rooms that meet the national standard. As is the case now, the question of how many persons or households can occupy a HMO is not dependent on calculating the floor space of each bedroom in isolation. It comes down to whether a specific property, taken as a whole, is reasonably suitable for a certain maximum number of persons or households. The only difference now is that rooms below the national minimum room size will automatically be ruled out as being suitable for sleeping in. However, these rooms can still be taken into account when assessing the property as a whole. They could, for example, provide useful storage space for the occupants of a property freeing up floor space in the bedrooms.

The regulations still need to be approved by both Houses of Parliament but it seems likely that the new standard will come into force sometime later this year. While the introduction of a national minimum room size will bring some clarity to the HMO room size debate, questions surrounding suitability and how local authorities apply their own standards will not disappear. We are likely to see new challenges in the tribunals and senior courts as room size continues to be contested by landlords and local authorities.

Source: Lexology

HMO licensing regime
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HMO licensing regime to be expanded to include low-rise homes and flats

Houses in Multiple Occupation that have to be mandatorily licensed are to include properties – regardless of height – that are occupied by five or more people from two or more households.

Currently, HMOs that must be mandatorily licensed are of three or more storeys.

The new rules, which have to be put before and approved by Parliament, will bring an extra 160,000 homes, including flats, bungalows and two-storey houses, into the mandatory licensing regime.

In a separate move, HMRC has revealed plans that would make it compulsory for any landlord applying for an HMO licence to be registered with HMRC first, for tax purposes.

In a consultation open until March 2, the move would crack down on overseas landlords letting out HMOs in the UK and also on UK landlords not paying the right amount of tax.

New rules will also come into force setting minimum size requirements for bedrooms in HMOs. As part of the licensing requirements, local councils will be able to make sure that only rooms meeting the standard are used for sleeping.

Rooms used for sleeping by one adult will have to be no smaller than 6.51 sqm and those slept in by two adults will have to be no smaller than 10.22 sqm. Rooms slept in by children of ten years and younger will have to be no smaller than 4.64 sqm.

Housing minister Alok Sharma has also confirmed that the blacklist of landlords and letting agents will be implemented this April.

He was, however, silent on who will have access to this blacklist. As things stand, only local councils and the DCLG will be able to access the list – not tenants, nor landlords or other members of the public, and not prospective employers hoping to avoid recruiting agents with bad track records.

The Government has however set out details of criminal offences which will automatically result in a ban from being a landlord. Convictions for crimes such as burglary and stalking will be added to convictions for housing offences resulting in bans.

Separately, Labour has announced that it will ban ‘no fault’ evictions if it comes to power. Leader Jeremy Corbyn said it would be a manifesto commitment. The Scottish government has already brought in a ban.

Source: Property Industry Eye

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New Government powers to ban landlords and additional HMO regulations

From April 2018 any landlord convicted for the criminal offences of blackmail, theft,  handling stolen goods, harassment and stalking will automatically be banned from letting out property and added to the new rogue landlords database.

In addition Housing Minister, Alok Sharma, has introduced new HMO regulations set to be passed by Parliament confirming all properties occupied by 5 or more people from 2 or more separate households will face mandatory licensing.

The new HMO regulations will include:

  • Minimum bedroom size requirements (to prevent overcrowding). Rooms used for sleeping by a single adult will have to be no smaller than 6.51sqm, and those occupied by two adults will have to measure at least 10.22sqm. Rooms slept in by children of 10 years and younger will have to be at least 4.64sqm in size.
  • Responsibility falling on landlords to ensure the council’s rules on refuse and recycling are adhered to.
  • Additional powers to be given to local authorities for cracking down on over-crowded and sub-standard homes.

The government has estimated this will bring 160,000 into the licensing regime.

Alok Sharma said: “Every tenant has a right to a safe, secure and decent home, but far too many are being exploited by unscrupulous landlords who profit from providing overcrowded, squalid and sometimes dangerous homes.

“Enough is enough, and so I’m putting these rogue landlords on notice. Shape up or ship out of the rental business. Through a raft of new powers we are giving councils the further tools they need to crack down these rogue landlords and kick them out of the business for good.”

The RLA policy on this was previously spelt out by David Smith saying: “Councils are already struggling to enforce licensing schemes and the extension will potentially triple the number of homes under mandatory licensing.

“What is the point in introducing extra regulations if there are no resources to enforce them?

“Tenants should not be forced into excessively small rooms, but there are cases where tenants have other space available within their properties, which should be taken into account. By concentrating so narrowly on bedroom size the Government could knock thousands of rooms out of the sector, potentially forcing tenants out of their homes.”

Source: Property 118

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£3,300 fine for owner failing to keep HMO safe for tenants

The landlord of an HMO has been fined £3,300 for failures to meet his obligations, particularly regarding fire safety.

At Northampton magistrates court Nazrul Islam pleaded guilty to five offences in relation to the property in the town, including failure to comply without reasonable excuse to two licence conditions, two management regulations breaches, and works detailed on an Improvement Notice.

Islam breached management regulations which left the occupants of the property at risk of not being able to safely escape from the property in the event of a fire.

He also failed to comply with an Improvement Notice served on September 8 2016 which required him to make alterations to the layout of the property to ensure that the four occupants were adequately protected in the event of a fire.

He pleaded guilty to not keeping the rear garden of his property in good order, leaving exposed brickwork in the kitchen, and failing to ensure that the electrical installation in the house was at all times kept safe and in proper working order.

“We will now monitor the situation closely with this particular property to ensure the work needed is carried out adequately and in a timely fashion” says a local council spokesman.

The court fined Islam £3,300 and ordered him to pay the council’s £1,890.26 legal costs along with a £170 victim surcharge.

Source: Letting Agent Today

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Oxford landlord convicted of repeat HMO offences

An Oxford landlord has been convicted for the second time in 12 months for operating an unlicensed House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) and ordered to pay a total of £6,146 in fines and costs. The investigation followed a fire in the house which had a faulty fire detection system.

Mr Zahid Ali Rana, 58, of Boundary Brook Road, Oxford, was prosecuted after environmental health staff from Oxford City Council visited his home in March 2017. As three lodgers were living in the property with him, the house should have been licensed as an HMO. The central heating did not work and there was refuse in the garden.

When the case was heard before Oxford Magistrates’ Court on 16 October 2017 Mr Rana pleaded guilty to the offence of failing to licence the property and was fined £1,600. He was also fined £2,800 in total for three HMO management offences and ordered to pay surcharges and council costs of £1,746. Rana had previously been convicted on 4 October 2016 of managing an unlicensed HMO at Freelands Road that was also unsafe.

Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Board Member for Planning and Regulatory Services, said: “The City Council is committed to protecting private tenants from rogue landlords who fail to license their properties or manage them to acceptable standards. As this case involves a repeat offender, we expected a higher fine to reflect the seriousness of the offence and the appalling conditions we found the property in. This case is also one of the few remaining prosecutions in the system. Going forward, the Council will be regularly using financial penalties to deal with unlicensed HMOs and to secure compliance with HMO licence conditions where landlords have failed to improve their properties.”

The Housing and Planning Act 2016 allows councils to impose civil fines of up to £30,000 as an alternative to prosecution for housing offences. The City Council will use these new powers to improve conditions in the poorest quality private rented housing in the city.

Source: Oxford City Council