How Brent Council can help
The Renters’ Rights Act gives councils a much bigger role in regulating private renting. Before 1st May 2026, councils had a lot of powers to regulate and improve private renting, but they didn’t have to do all these things.
The Renters’ Rights Act has increased the way councils can improve the experience of renting and most of these are now duties. That means that Councils must take action.
Brent Council can undertake the new duties outlined below.
1
Enforce Landlord Compliance
Brent must enforce the new legal duties placed on landlords, including:
- Registering every rented property on the PRS Database when it is published (expected end 2026)
- Giving tenants the correct information documents
- Following the new notice periods and grounds for possession
- Complying with safety and property standards
- Not letting out unlicensed properties
- Not harassing tenants or illegally evicting them.
Brent must investigate complaints, inspect properties, gather evidence, and take action.
2
Issue Penalties and Take Enforcement Action
Brent must use the enforcement tools created by the Renters’ Rights Act:
- Civil penalties up to £5,000 for first‑tier offences
- Civil penalties up to £30,000 for serious or repeated breaches
- Prosecutions for criminal offences
- Banning orders for the worst landlords
- Adding landlords to the Rogue Landlord Database
These are now statutory duties, not optional powers.
3
Manage and Enforce the PRS Database when it is set up
Councils must:
- Ensure landlords register their properties (when the Database comes in late 2026)
- Verify information submitted
- Penalise landlords who fail to register
- Keep local records aligned with the national database
- Update entries when enforcement action is taken
- Share data with the Government
4
Enforce Tenancy Standards
Councils must enforce the new tenancy system, including:
- The new periodic tenancy structure
- The new grounds for possession
- The new rent increase rules
- The new information requirements landlords must give tenants
- The strengthened fitness and safety standards
Councils must support tenants facing unlawful eviction or unlawful rent increases.
5
Work With the Tenancy Redress Scheme (from 2028)
When all landlords are required to join a redress scheme, councils will have to:
- Enforce membership
- Penalise landlords who fail to join
- Penalise landlords who fail to tell tenants which scheme they belong to
- Act on referrals from redress schemes
- Share information about serious misconduct
This will create a new enforcement pipeline between ombudsmen and councils.
6
Provide Information, Support and Transparency
Brent must:
- Publish clear information for tenants about their rights
- Publish clear information for landlords about their duties
- Support vulnerable tenants at risk of eviction
- Publish annual enforcement data
- Report enforcement activity to the Government
- Maintain accessible online guidance
All these new duties are designed to make private renting more transparent and accountable.
Important Note:
Brent Council has introduced a new email address which you can use for all the renting issues you want to tell them about. They’d like to hear from you before problems escalate.
PRSSustainmentandCompliance@brent.gov.uk
We want to work with Brent to make sure that they can improve private renting in the most effective way. To do this, we’d like to know how they have been able to help you. If you tell them about the problems you face, please let us know the outcome.
Please get in touch if you want to discuss how all these changes can improve your experience of private renting.
Email us on: info@fairerhousing.org.uk
