Improvement notice
An improvement notice is a formal enforcement notice served by the local housing authority, often Environmental Health, requiring you, as the landlord, to carry out specified works to address hazards in a rented property. It is usually issued after an inspection under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), where the council identifies a Category 1 hazard (serious) or Category 2 hazard (less serious) and decides that improvement work is the appropriate remedy.
The notice will set out what must be done, to what standard, and by when. As a general rule it becomes operative 21 days after service, and you typically have 21 days to appeal to the Property Tribunal (First-Tier Tribunal) if you believe the works are unnecessary, disproportionate, or directed at the wrong party. You can also ask the council to vary or revoke it if circumstances change, for example, if you can propose an alternative scope of works.
Ignoring an improvement notice is high risk. Failure to comply can be a criminal offence and may expose you to enforcement action such as prosecution or a civil penalty notice. It can also open the door to a rent repayment order, requiring repayment of rent for a period if the relevant offence is proven.
How this sits alongside eviction rules is changing. Under the current system, an improvement notice can block a Section 21 notice for 6 months in some “retaliatory eviction” scenarios. From 1 May 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act abolishes Section 21 notice in England, so the practical focus shifts to prompt compliance, clear records, and using the correct Section 8 notice grounds for possession only where genuinely justified.
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