How we investigate housing offences

Find out how we investigate housing offences with a fair and practical approach - supporting landlords to meet standards and taking action when they don’t.

We’re committed to making sure rented homes in Norwich are safe, well-managed, and legally compliant. Our approach is proactive, fair, and focused on improving standards - using enforcement only when necessary.

What we respond to

We investigate reports of:

  • unsafe or unhealthy living conditions
  • unlicensed Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)
  • breaches of housing laws and regulations

Our enforcement principles

Our actions are guided by:

We aim to be proportionate, transparent, and targeted in everything we do.

Our step-by-step enforcement process

1 - Informal Action

We start by working with landlords to resolve issues voluntarily - offering advice and support to help them meet legal standards.

Used when:

  • the risk to tenants is low
  • the landlord is cooperative

2 - Formal Action

If informal efforts don’t work, or if the risks are more serious, we may take legal steps such as:

  • issuing improvement notices
  • applying civil penalties under the Housing Act 2004 and other laws

3 - Escalation

For serious or repeated non-compliance, we may escalate enforcement through:

  • prosecution
  • banning orders
  • recovering costs

We enforce housing standards under several laws, including:

HMO Licensing in Norwich

Norwich operates a Mandatory HMO Licensing Scheme. If landlords fail to comply, they may face:

Learn more about HMO Licensing

View our Enforcement Policy

 

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