A comprehensive guide from Boydens to help landlords stay compliant

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 introduces one of the most significant changes to landlord regulation in decades. Alongside new tenancy rules and strengthened tenant protections, the Act empowers local authorities to issue civil penalties, substantial financial sanctions for breaches of housing law.

To help landlords understand their responsibilities, the Government has published statutory guidance setting out how fines should be calculated, including example penalty amounts. At Boydens, we’ve translated this guidance into a clear, practical summary to help you navigate the road ahead.

🔎 Why Has a New Penalty System Been Introduced?

Historically, councils relied heavily on prosecution to enforce housing offences. The Renters’ Rights Act modernises this approach by allowing local authorities to issue civil penalties instead of going to court.

These penalties:

• Are quicker to issue
• Are easier to enforce
• Are designed to deter poor practice
• Must be high enough to ensure compliance

Most landlords want to get things right, and the new system aims to ensure a consistent, fairer private rented sector.

💷 How Much Could Landlords Be Fined?

The Act sets out two penalty tiers:

1️⃣ Up to £7,000 for standard or first breaches

Used for administrative or lower-risk breaches, including:

• Failing to state rent in adverts
• Rental bidding
• Failing to provide required tenancy information
• Offering a fixed-term tenancy
• Minor licensing paperwork failures

2️⃣ Up to £40,000 for serious or repeated offences

Applied where breaches involve harm, risk, deception, avoidance, harassment, or repeated non-compliance, including:

• Serious licensing failures
• Illegal eviction or harassment
• Breaching the 12-month re-let ban after certain grounds
• Providing misleading information to the landlord database
• Repeated misuse of possession grounds

Local authorities may issue multiple penalties for multiple breaches.

📋 The Full Example Fine Schedule (as set out in Statutory Guidance)

Below is the illustrative penalty table referenced in the Government guidance.
These figures represent example starting points, local authorities may adopt them, adjust them, or create their own.

📑 Example Penalty Amounts (from Government Guidance)

Breaches (max £7,000)

Offences (max £40,000)

Continuous Non-Compliance

Where a breach continues after the initial penalty:

🏛️ How Councils Will Issue and Collect Penalties

While each authority will publish its own enforcement policy, the Government’s guidance confirms the following steps:

1️⃣ Penalty Notice Issued

The landlord receives a Civil Penalty Notice outlining:

• The breach/offence
• The evidence
• The penalty amount
• How to make representations
• Appeal rights

2️⃣ Payment Deadline

The Government does not set a national payment period.
This means each council will choose its own deadline, typically:

• 28 days, or
• Longer at the authority’s discretion

Councils must state their payment terms clearly in their published policies.

3️⃣ Payment Methods

Authorities will normally accept:

• Bank transfer
• Online card payment portals
• Cheque or approved payment processing routes
• Instalment plans may be available (discretionary)

4️⃣ Failure to Pay → Debt Recovery

If a landlord does not pay:

• The penalty becomes a civil debt
• Councils can pursue enforcement through the courts
• Enforcement may include:
  • County Court Judgments (CCJs)
  • Charging orders over property
  • Attachment of earnings
  • Enforcement agents (bailiffs)
  • Applying the debt against rent collected

Debts can affect a landlord’s credit rating, mortgage approvals and future licensing.

5️⃣ Additional Consequences

• Councils may also seek Rent Repayment Orders (up to 12 months’ rent).
• Repeat offenders may appear on the national landlord database.
• Some offences allow the council to pursue criminal prosecution instead.

🧭 What This Means for Landlords

The new regime is designed to be robust, consistent and credible. For landlords, the key takeaways are:

• Compliance is now financially critical.
• Even low level breaches can result in fines of several thousand pounds.
• Higher level breaches can easily exceed £30,000.
• Councils are encouraged to deter repeat offending through escalating penalties.
• Working with an experienced, compliant letting agent is essential.

👍 How Boydens Supports Landlords

As a family-run business since 1966, our role is to help landlords navigate these changes with confidence. We offer:

• Renters’ Rights Act-compliant tenancy documentation
• Property safety compliance reviews
• Tailored eviction and possession advice
• Full portfolio compliance assessments
• Proactive communication to protect landlords from penalties

Our teams in Colchester, Kelvedon, Chelmsford, Sudbury and Frinton are ready to guide you through every update.

📞 Need Help Understanding Your Compliance Duties?

Speak to your local Boydens lettings expert today for tailored advice.

Your property. Our expertise. Since 1966.

⚠️ Important note:
The Government guidance does not provide a single national “fixed” fine schedule. Instead, it includes illustrative starting-point penalty amounts that local authorities may adopt when building their own civil penalty policies. These example figures are permitted to be shared, and I have included them in the schedule below exactly as referenced in the guidance.