Coventry fines landlords under the Renters' Rights Act. What every landlord should check
A second council in a week has gone public with fines under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. This time it is Coventry, and the message is the same: councils are using their new powers, and they are telling landlords about it.
What Coventry has done
In an announcement published on Friday 23 October 2026, Coventry City Council said its Safer Housing Team has used new enforcement powers since the relevant provisions came into force on 1 May 2026.
The council says it has imposed:
- two penalties relating to unlawful eviction offences under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977
- two further penalties relating to breaches of the Housing Act 1988
The council has not published the amounts or the details of each case.
How much councils can now fine
According to the council, under the new regime local authorities can impose penalties of up to £7,000 for specified breaches of tenancy law. For offences where prosecution is available, a penalty of up to £40,000 may be imposed as an alternative to prosecution.
Councillor John McNicholas, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Cohesion, said: "There are clear legal procedures which landlords must follow when seeking possession of a property. Where those requirements are not followed, the Council will use the enforcement powers available to it to protect tenants."
Part of a wider pattern
Coventry's announcement follows Gateshead Council, which said on 20 October 2026 that it had fined a landlord £3,600 for serving a Section 21 notice after 1 May 2026. Since that date Section 21 "no fault" notices can no longer be used, and a landlord needs a valid possession ground to regain possession. Our guide to Section 21 being abolished explains the background.
Two councils, two different kinds of breach, one week. Enforcement is no longer something that only happens to other people.
Practical checks for your own lettings
- Follow the correct possession process. If you want a property back, start from the possession grounds that now apply and the notice rules that go with them. Never try to get a tenant out by any other route.
- Bin out of date templates. Old notice templates and old tenancy paperwork are an easy way to make a mistake. Remove anything that no longer applies.
- Keep proof of what you served and when. A clear record helps if anything is ever questioned. See serving notices and proof of service.
- Work through the new rules one by one. Our Renters' Rights Act checklist sets out the main changes in plain English.
This is general information, not advice about your tenancy. If you are unsure what applies to you, take advice from a solicitor or your council's housing team before you act.
Coventry landlords: the PRS database is next
Coventry is in the West Midlands, the first region for the PRS database. On current published plans it opens on 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands, and every landlord letting in England must be registered by 14 November 2027. See our guide for Coventry landlords and the PRS database for the local timetable.
Keep your records in one place
LandlordProof gives you one place for your certificate dates, documents and reminders for every property, so nothing slips while the rules change. Your first property is free, with no time limit and no card needed.
Start free →LandlordProof helps you organise your certificates, documents and reminders. Using it does not by itself meet your legal duties as a landlord, and it does not register you on the PRS database.
Sources: Coventry City Council, 23 October 2026; Gateshead Council, 20 October 2026; House of Commons Library, Renters' reform in England.