Prohibition orders
A prohibition order is a formal order made by the local housing authority that restricts how all or part of a rented property can be used. In practice, it can ban occupation of a whole home, stop use of specific rooms, or restrict who may live there, for example, preventing children from occupying where a hazard is acute. Councils usually reach for a prohibition order after inspecting under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), where they judge that a Category 1 hazard or sometimes a serious Category 2 hazard makes continued use unsafe.
From a landlord’s point of view, the critical issue is operational. A prohibition can instantly turn your “let” into accommodation you cannot lawfully provide. That may mean urgent alternative arrangements for the tenant, immediate loss of rent, and fast-tracked works to remove the hazard. Where the risk is imminent, the council can serve an emergency prohibition order, which takes effect straight away rather than after the usual notice period.
Non-compliance is an enforcement problem. Breaching a prohibition order can lead to prosecution or a civil penalty, and can expose you to a rent repayment order application at the Property Tribunal (First-Tier Tribunal), potentially requiring repayment of up to 12 months’ rent or housing support paid.
It also matters for possession strategy. Pre-change, certain council notices could complicate or block a Section 21 notice and raise “retaliatory eviction” arguments. From 1 May 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act abolishes Section 21 notice in England and shifts possession onto Section 8 notice grounds for possession, so the safest landlord response is to treat any prohibition action as a priority compliance event. Fix the underlying repairs, document everything, and only pursue possession where a valid ground genuinely applies.
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