Housing Act 2004

Major changes for private rented accommodation

There are going to be major changes introduced to the way privately rented homes are assessed and regulated. The Private Rented Team within housing are preparing for the Housing Act 2004 to come into force.

The changes introduced by the Housing Act 2004 included the following:

• A new system to assess the standard of accommodation
• New definition of a house in multiple occupation (eg bedsits and shared houses, etc)
• Licensing of some houses in multiple occupation
• Greater powers to deal with empty properties
• Changes to the house buying and selling process

The changes are due to begin from April 2006, this is subject to the government releasing further regulations and guidance. The Private Rented Team will strive to provide the latest information, as it becomes available via the website, Housing Act 2004 updates.