Reporting HMO breaches to Hackney: what, where, what happens
Reportable breaches
- No licence where one is required (the big one — criminal offence, s.72(1)/s.95(1)).
- Licence conditions breached: occupant cap exceeded, amenities missing, management regulations breached (s.234).
- Hazards: damp, mould, fire risk, electrical danger — enforceable through the Housing Health and Safety Rating System even where no licence is required.
- Improvement notice / prohibition order breached: itself an RRO-qualifying offence.
Where to report in Hackney
Use Hackney Council's online "report a housing problem" route (search the council site), or phone the switchboard and ask for private sector housing enforcement.
After you press send
Expect acknowledgment, then an inspection. Enforcement ladder: informal fix → improvement notice → civil penalty (£30k cap) → prosecution. The council's own enforcement is separate from your money claim: a rent repayment order repays *your* rent, and you file it yourself. Councils can apply too — ask the officer whether they intend to; a council-run RRO does not pay *you*.
If nothing happens
Chase in writing after 20 working days; escalate to the ward councillor; the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman takes council-inaction complaints. Your own claim clock keeps running — do not let a stalled enforcement file eat your limitation window.
*Reviewed by Sean McNamara against legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK guidance. Last verified 2026-09-04.*
Ready to claim? The Casewright RRO Pack helps you calculate the rent to reclaim (including Universal Credit and utility deductions), complete Form RRO1, and compile a bookmarked, searchable First-tier Tribunal applicant bundle. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. Flat £149 — no percentage of your award.
Reviewed by Sean McNamara against legislation.gov.uk, GOV.UK tribunal guidance and council registers. Last verified: 2026-09-04.