Mole Valley District Council is moving to adopt a new enforcement procedure to align its private rented sector policy with the Renters’ Rights Act, in a sign of how local authorities are shifting from advisory approaches towards a clearer statutory enforcement role.
The council said its scrutiny committee and cabinet are due to consider the change this month, with the updated framework designed to reflect the Act’s requirement for councils to enforce landlord obligations more proactively rather than lean mainly on informal action.
For landlords, the significance is wider than one Surrey authority. As councils start rewriting their internal policies after the 1 May roll-out of the Act, the practical test is becoming how quickly local enforcement teams change behaviour on the ground.
Mole Valley rewrites private rented enforcement approach
Mole Valley said the revised procedure would bring its Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy into line with the new rental regime. The council also highlighted parts of the Act it said benefit landlords, including clearer possession routes where an owner wants to sell or move in family, annual rent reviews with two months’ notice, and the new landlord ombudsman route.
That does not alter the broader direction of travel. The key new point is the council’s acknowledgement that the legislation places a statutory duty on authorities to enforce standards more proactively.
This follows Landlord Knowledge’s report on councils being told to take a proactive line on Renters’ Rights Act enforcement. Mole Valley’s policy move suggests that broad national warnings are now feeding into operational changes at district level.
Landlords should expect local policy rewrites
The council said it plans a phased transition so existing cases can be concluded under current policies while the new framework is introduced. That should reduce confusion in the short term, but it also suggests landlords may face a period where councils become more active while internal processes are still bedding in.
Notably, Mole Valley stressed that it wants to keep working with landlords and agents through forums, webinars and incentive schemes. That combination of support and sharper enforcement is likely to become a common model elsewhere.
Landlords should not read this as a Surrey-only story. Once one council formalises a post-RRA operating procedure, others come under pressure to show they have done the same – particularly if complaints, standards cases or political scrutiny increase over the summer.
Mole Valley has published the proposed change on its official council news site, ahead of committee and cabinet consideration this month.
What this means for landlords
- If you own in Mole Valley: watch for the committee and cabinet decisions in June and review any council communications on inspections or complaint handling.
- If you own elsewhere: expect more councils to refresh enforcement policies rather than rely on pre-RRA guidance.
- Watch for: a shift from informal warnings towards more formal notices where councils believe landlords are slow to act.
- Bottom line: the Act is no longer just a legal change – it is beginning to reshape how councils organise enforcement.
Editor’s view
The important part of this story is not Mole Valley itself. It is the signal that councils are moving from talking about the Renters’ Rights Act to rewriting their playbooks around it.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 03 June 2026
Sources: Mole Valley District Council
Related reading: Councils told to take proactive line on RRA enforcement
📘 Renters’ Rights Act: Complete Landlord Guide
Everything you need to know about the new rules – 1 May 2026
