Commentary on Sections Part 1 Regulation of Private Rented Housing Section 4 – Requirement for a landlord to be registered
8.A landlord who either offers or markets a dwelling for let, or lets one under a domestic tenancy must be registered with the licensing authority for the area in which that dwelling is located. Exceptions to this requirement are set out in section 5.  A landlord for whom an exception does not apply, who is not registered and who does not have a reasonable excuse for not being registered commits an offence. Such cases would be heard in magistrates’ courts. If convicted, the landlord is liable to a fine, which would be determined according to the standard scale for fines. In this case, the fine would not exceed level 3.