Private Sector Housing Enforcement

The Private Sector Housing Team acts as a regulatory body with powers to enforce standards across owner occupied dwellings, privately rented dwellings and social housing tenancies (excluding those owned or managed by the council). Authorised officers carry out day to day enforcement activities and can issue formal cautions, statutory notices, civil penalties or initiate prosecutions.

We welcome enquiries from home owners and landlords about complying with minimum standards and ensuring homes are safe - this will not directly trigger any enforcement action. Advice and guidance will be given free of charge and will be confirmed in writing if requested.

Tenants are always advised to inform their landlord of any repair issues in the first instance and allow the landlord a reasonable opportunity to carry out the necessary works. If you landlord fails to complete the repairs, you can report this to the Private Sector Housing Team at privatesectorhousing@westlancs.gov.uk or 01695 577177.

Inspections will take place in response to a reasonable complaint or request for service or where poor conditions have been brought to our attention. The Housing Health and Safety Rating System is used to assess poor housing conditions.

Types of enforcement action

  • Hazard Awareness Notice: notifies owners of the existence of hazards
  • Improvement Notice: requires specific works to remove hazards
  • Prohibition Order: restricts the number of occupants or prohibits the use of all or part of a property
  • Emergency Remedial Action or Emergency Prohibition Order: used in an imminent safety risk
  • Demolition Order: orders a property to be demolished

Failure to comply with a notice

If the landlord or owner is served with a notice and fails to comply, the Council has a number of options. We can:

Charging for enforcement action

The Council charges a fee for serving an Improvement Notice, Prohibition Order, Emergency Prohibition Order or Demolition Order. The Council can also recover any costs incurred in carrying out works in default.

More Information