<\/p>\n
In housing law and licensing appeals, tribunals distinguish between:<\/p>\n
Temporary or incidental presence in a room<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n vs. Regular or ongoing use as sleeping accommodation<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n R (Gaskin) v Richmond LBC [2018] UKUT 198 (LC)<\/strong><\/p>\n The Upper Tribunal confirmed that use of rooms for sleeping accommodation must be assessed functionally and practically<\/strong>, not just whether someone lay there for a short time.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n If the room was not designated or intended<\/strong> for sleeping, and used only in emergency<\/strong> for a very short period<\/strong>, it does not qualify as a breach of sleeping accommodation standards<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Haringey LBC v Simawi (2021)<\/strong> If there is no pattern of misuse or harm to occupants, a civil penalty is disproportionate<\/strong>, especially where no commercial benefit was gained.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n London Borough of Waltham Forest v Marshall [2021]<\/strong> Breaches were isolated and rectified<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n There was no significant risk or harm<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n The landlord acted promptly<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \u201cThe civil penalty regime is not designed to punish technical or fleeting breaches that are corrected and cause no material harm to tenants.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Even if not a court case, councils must follow<\/strong> the Regulators\u2019 Code<\/strong>, which states:<\/p>\n \u201cRegulators should ensure their approach is proportionate to the harm or risk… and support those they regulate to comply before resorting to enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n Section 254<\/strong> \u2013 Defines HMOs and what constitutes \u201cliving accommodation\u201d and \u201coccupation\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Section 72(2)<\/strong> \u2013 Offence of managing an HMO that is not licensed or breaches licence conditions<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Section 67<\/strong> \u2013 Permits licence conditions on room use, but interpretation must be proportionate and justifiable<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \ud83e\udde0 If the communal room was not let<\/strong>, not intended for sleeping<\/strong>, and was used without payment<\/strong>, it is unlikely to fall under \u201cuse as sleeping accommodation\u201d in the formal sense of the Act.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cThe council is committed to dealing with enforcement matters in a fair, transparent, and consistent manner.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Licence conditions apply to habitual use of rooms<\/strong>, not incidental or emergency use.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u201cThe licence holder shall ensure any room in the HMO used as sleeping accommodation is not used by more than the maximum number of persons specified in the licence\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \ud83e\udde0 If the room was not designated for sleeping<\/strong> under the licence and was used briefly and without payment<\/strong>, there is no breach of a habitual licensing condition<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Enforcement must be proportionate to risk<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Authorities must:<\/p>\n \u201cSupport those they regulate to comply, and ensure action is proportionate to the harm or risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n Using a civil penalty for an incidental, short-term humanitarian act<\/strong> (e.g., accommodating someone for a few days due to emergency) is contrary to the Code<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/p>\n Use of a room must be judged functionally and practically<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Brief presence in a room does not necessarily make it \u201csleeping accommodation.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Civil penalty was cancelled where the landlord\u2019s breach was minor<\/strong>, brief<\/strong>, and rectified<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Tribunal stated:<\/p>\n \u201cThe civil penalty regime is not designed to punish technical or fleeting breaches that are corrected and cause no material harm.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n A landlord was not penalised<\/strong> for temporary use of a room for sleeping, because the tribunal found it was not the intended use<\/strong>, and no rent or tenancy agreement existed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Audi alteram partem<\/strong> \u2013 Right to be heard.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Penalties must not be issued without:<\/p>\n Fair notice<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Opportunity to rectify<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Clear evidence of material harm or gain<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In connection with the emergency use of the communal room as emergency sleeping accommodation for 4 to 5 days with no rental income from it. 1. Short-term or incidental use is not \u201cuse as sleeping accommodation\u201d In housing law and licensing appeals, tribunals distinguish between: Temporary or incidental presence in a room vs. Regular […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-12182","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/areton-ltd.com\/Aretonoldbackup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/areton-ltd.com\/Aretonoldbackup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/areton-ltd.com\/Aretonoldbackup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/areton-ltd.com\/Aretonoldbackup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/areton-ltd.com\/Aretonoldbackup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12182"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/areton-ltd.com\/Aretonoldbackup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12182\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12187,"href":"https:\/\/areton-ltd.com\/Aretonoldbackup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12182\/revisions\/12187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/areton-ltd.com\/Aretonoldbackup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\ud83d\udd39 Key case<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n
\n
\ud83d\udd39 Implication:<\/h3>\n
\n\u2705 2. Proportionality matters: Civil penalties must reflect genuine harm or misconduct<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\ud83d\udd39 Key principle<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n
\u2013 Courts have reiterated that enforcement must be proportionate<\/strong>, and regulatory decisions (including penalties) are challengeable if excessive, unfair, or procedurally flawed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n
\n\u2705 3. Tribunals regularly reject penalties for minor, isolated, or technical breaches<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\ud83d\udd39 Example:<\/h3>\n
\u2013 The First-tier Tribunal cancelled a civil penalty<\/strong> where:<\/p>\n\n
\ud83d\udd39 Key quote:<\/h3>\n
\n
\n\u2705 4. Regulators’ Code (2014) is enforceable policy guidance<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
5 Failure to notify the responsible person\u00a0 of the issue, or raise it after the fact in an interview under caution, may breach this code and weaken the enforceability of any penalty.<\/strong><\/h1>\n
1. Key Legislation<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\ud83c\udfdb\ufe0f Housing Act 2004<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\n\u2705 2. City of Lincoln Council Enforcement Policy & Licensing Standards<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\ud83d\udcdc Lincoln City Council \u2013 HMO Mandatory Licensing Scheme (2018)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
3. Regulators\u2019 Code (BEIS, 2014)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
\n
4. Case Law and Tribunal Decisions<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\ud83d\udd39 Gaskin v Richmond LBC [2018] UKUT 198 (LC)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\ud83d\udd39 Waltham Forest v Marshall (2021)<\/strong> \u2013 FTT<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\ud83d\udd39 London Borough of Camden v Khudados [2022]<\/strong> (FTT)<\/h3>\n
\n
General Principles of Natural Justice and Proportionality<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
\n