Toggle search
Toggle menu

Housing Regulation

Enforcement Policies

Torridge District Council handles all Housing Standards Investigations in line with our Housing Enforcement Policy (PDF, 350 KB).

When it is appropriate for the Council to issue a fixed penalty notice, this will be issued in line with our Housing Civil Penalty Policy (PDF, 630 KB).

Important Information

Devon & Cornwall Police:

If you believe that you are in immediate danger, please call 999 and ask for the police. 

If you believe that you have been the victim of a criminal offence that is not covered in the list below, please call 101 to file a police report or visit the Devon & Cornwall Police website.

If you have made any reports to the police regarding your landlord's conduct, and you then intend to submit a complaint to us as well, please provide us the crime reference numbers or copies of the police reports.

Trading Standards:

Investigations relating to some of the letting offences below may be handled by Heart of the South West Trading Standards.

If the Council receives a complaint that we believe to be investigated by Trading Standards, we will forward the report details to them.

Complaints to Heart of the South West Trading Standards are handled by the Torridge, North, Mid, & West Devon branch of the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB).

To make a complaint directly, please contact CAB at Citizens Advice Bureau on 0808 278 7999.

Social Housing:

The Council does not own any properties used for long-term residential accommodation. If you believe that you are living in council housing, please check your lease for the details of your landlord. You may instead be living in a property owned by a registered social landlord (E.g. Westward Housing Group Ltd, Livewest Properties Ltd, Sanctuary Housing Ltd, etc.). The full list can be viewed on the GOV.UK website.

There is a separate complaint route for social landlords. Please complain to your landlord first and, if you are not satisfied with their response, please escalate your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman Service.

If are not sure who your landlord is and you were never provided a written document detailing your lease terms, please complete the complaint form below.

Our Remit

The Council's Housing Standards Team can investigate the following offences relating to private sector housing:

Eviction Offences:

  • Unlawful eviction & harassment of an occupier [S.1 - Protection from Eviction Act 1997].
  • Attempting to end an assured tenancy by serving a notice to quit [S.16E(1)(b) - Housing Act 1988].
  • Attempting to end an assured tenancy orally or requiring that it is ended orally [S.16E(1)(c) - Housing Act 1988].
  • Serving an eviction notice that attempts to end a tenancy in a manner outside of the prescribed Section 8 process [S.16E(1)(d) - Housing Act 1988].
  • Relying on a ground where the person does not reasonably believe that the landlord is/will be able to obtain possession [S.16E(1)(e)Housing Act 1988].
  • Failure to provide a tenant with prior notice when relying on a ground which requires prior notice [S.16E(1)(f) - Housing Act 1988].
  • Relying on a ground while knowing that the landlord would not be able to obtain possession or being reckless as to whether they would [S.16J(1) - Housing Act 1988].

Housing Standards Offences:

  • Failure to comply with an improvement notice [S.30(1) - Housing Act 2004].
  • Failure to obtain a mandatory HMO licence [S.72(1) - Housing Act 2004].
  • Knowingly allowing the over-occupation of an HMO [S.72(2) Housing Act 2004].
  • Breach of a HMO licence condition [S.72(3) & S.95(2) - Housing Act 2004].
  • Failure to obtain a selective HMO licence [S.95(1) - Housing Act 2004].
  • Failure to comply with an overcrowding notice [S.139(7) - Housing Act 2004].
  • Offences in relation to the regulations for the licensing and management of HMOs [S.234(3) - Housing Act 2004].
  • Offences in relation to The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020.

Letting Offences:

  • Failure to provide an existing tenant with prescribed information about the changes made by the Renters' Rights Act 2025 [Para. 7(2) of Sch. 6 - Renters' Rights Act 2025].
  • Discrimination relating to children in the lettings process [S.33(1) - Renters' Rights Act 2025].
  • Discrimination relating to benefits in the lettings process [S.34(1) - Renters' Rights Act 2025].
  • Failure to specify proposed rent in a written letting advertisement [S.56(2) - Renters' Rights Act 2025].
  • Inciting, encouraging or accepting an offer of rent greater than the stated proposed rent [S.56(3) - Renters' Rights Act 2025].
  • Failure to comply with a banning order [S.21(1) - Housing and Planning Act 2016].
  • Failure to provide a tenant with a written statement of tenancy terms and prescribed information [S.16D - Housing Act 1988].
  • Attempting to let a residential property for a fixed term [S.16E(1)(a) - Housing Act 1988].
  • Breach of re-letting or re-marketing restrictions following an eviction for landlord occupation or sale of property [S.16J(2) - Housing Act 1988].

Recidivation Offences:

  • Continuation of unlawful conduct following a penalty being issued [S.16J(3) - Housing Act 1988].
  • Alternative unlawful conduct following a penalty being issued [S.16J(4) - Housing Act 1988].

If you become aware of anyone committing these offences, please fill in our housing complaint form using the button below:

Start Now (Housing Complaint)

Queries

For further information, please contact the Council's Housing Standards Team at [email protected] or on 01237 428848.