00:00Liverpool City Council is preparing for one of the biggest shifts in housing regulation in a generation
00:05as it moves to strengthen how it oversees the private rented sector across the city.
00:10At the centre of the changes is a new set of enforcement and civil penalty policies
00:15which the Council's Cabinet is expected to approve.
00:18These are designed to bring local rules into line with the Renters' Rights Act 2025,
00:23a piece of legislation that will significantly change the way private renting works in England.
00:28The Act will abolish so-called no-fault evictions,
00:32replace fixed-term tenancies with assured periodic agreements
00:35and strengthen protections against unfair rent increases.
00:39It also places a new statutory duty on councils, including Liverpool,
00:44to actively enforce landlord legislation.
00:47According to Liverpool City Council, its current enforcement policies were drawn up
00:51before these reforms are no longer fully reflect the updated legal framework.
00:56The Council says their new approach will provide a clearer,
00:59more consistent system for identifying breaches and taking action where necessary.
01:05Under the revised framework, the Council will require to consider enforcement action
01:09where breaches are identified and may intervene at an earlier stage than before,
01:14rather than relying primarily on informal resolutions.
01:18A nationally aligned civil penalty system will also be introduced setting clearer starting points for fines
01:24while allowing officers to weigh up aggravating and mitigating factors in each case.
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