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What is Banning order?
Last verified 23 October 2026
A banning order is an order made by the First-tier Tribunal that bans a landlord or property agent from letting housing in England, doing letting agency work or doing property management work. A council applies for it after the person has been convicted of a banning order offence.
Why it matters to landlords
Banning order offences include illegal eviction and harassment, failing to comply with an improvement notice or prohibition order, HMO and other licensing offences, fire safety and gas safety offences, letting to someone who is not allowed to rent because of their immigration status, and some serious criminal offences linked to the tenant or the property. The council must serve a notice of intent within six months of the conviction. An order lasts at least 12 months, with no set maximum.
Breaching a banning order is a criminal offence, and it is also one of the offences that can lead to a rent repayment order. When deciding, the tribunal considers whether the person is or has been on the database of rogue landlords. Banning orders are aimed at the worst offenders, but the offences behind them start as ordinary compliance failures.
Example
A landlord is convicted of illegally evicting a tenant by changing the locks while the tenant was out. Within six months the council serves a notice of intent, then applies to the tribunal, which bans the landlord from letting homes in England for three years.
Related terms
- Rent repayment order
- Improvement notice
- Right to Rent
- Mandatory HMO licensing
- PRS database (landlord register)