The Civil Penalty Notice (CPN) policy has been revised to establish an updated and comprehensive framework for issuing financial penalties under the Housing Act 2004.
The updated policy introduces increased fines for landlords who fail to comply with housing regulations, with penalties reaching up to £30,000 per offence. This step reflects the council's commitment to tackling unlawful landlord practices and safeguarding tenants' rights.
In addition, the council intends to foster an environment where it becomes clear that operating unlawfully as a landlord is far less profitable than adhering to regulations. The updated penalty structure sets higher starting fines according to how serious the offence is.
For example, failing to comply with an Improvement Notice could cost landlords £22,500, while not licensing a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) starts at £17,500. Every case will be reviewed individually to ensure fairness.
Cllr Sarah Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning and Deputy Leader, said:
This policy change demonstrates our commitment to holding landlords accountable and ensuring all residents in Haringey have access to safe, high-quality housing.
By increasing penalties and streamlining our enforcement strategy, we are sending a strong message - breaking the law will have serious consequences and we will simply not tolerate it.
We remain committed to supporting our good landlords whilst also cracking down on illegal landlord practices and raising housing standards across the borough.
The revised CPN policy can be found here.
