ABSTRACT
The Enforcement Guidance Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, February 2006, Part 2 sets out the policy context in which it is expected that local authorities will conduct their enforcement responsibilities. Enforcement policies should take account of the circumstances and views of tenants, landlords and owners and should provide for consultation with social services, tenancy support, housing needs and housing management officers. Local authorities are encouraged to adopt the Regulators Code, which provides a basis for fair, practicable and consistent enforcement. The process of identifying and assessing hazards is the first part of the process that may lead to enforcement action. Local housing authorities are expected to develop and document their own policy on when to prosecute and when to issue a civil penalty and should decide which option it wishes to pursue on a case-by-case basis in line with that policy.
