Hazard awareness notices. The one that looks harmless and isn’t.
A hazard awareness notice has no deadline, no works schedule and no appeal. That’s exactly why landlords put it in a drawer, and why it comes back to bite.
Guide by Damion Robinson MCIOB MCIEH. Law and figures checked 01/10/2026. This is general information, not legal advice about your case.
What it is
Sections 28 and 29 of the Housing Act 2004. The council has found a hazard, category 1 or 2, and has chosen to tell you about it rather than order works. The notice describes the hazard and the deficiency, says what the council thinks you should do, and stops there. There’s no start date, no completion date and no offence for ignoring it.
Why it still matters
Three reasons. First, it’s a formal record that the council has told you about a hazard. If a tenant is later injured, or a disrepair claim lands, that record is the first thing the other side asks for. Second, councils use it as step one. If the hazard is still there at the next inspection, the improvement notice that follows will refer back to it, and the civil penalty matrix will treat you as someone who was warned. Third, it stays on the council’s file for the property. It isn’t registered as a local land charge the way an improvement notice is, but it doesn’t go away either.
There’s no right of appeal because there’s nothing to appeal against. That cuts both ways. You can’t challenge it, but nothing stops you writing to the council disputing the assessment and asking for the notice to be withdrawn, and that letter goes on the same file.
What to do with it
- Treat it as an improvement notice with a generous deadline. Price the works, do the sensible ones, and tell the council in writing what you’ve done with photographs.
- If you think the hazard is wrong, say so now, with reasons, while it’s cheap to say so. An officer who has a written response on file is far less likely to escalate.
- Diary a follow-up. If you’ve done the works, ask the council to confirm it’s satisfied. A one-line email closing the matter is worth having.
When it’s actually a warning shot
Some councils, Liverpool among them, use hazard awareness notices where they’d be entitled to serve an improvement notice but want to give a co-operative landlord a chance. If that’s you, take the chance. The next notice will carry a deadline, a section 49 charge for serving it, and the possibility of a £40,000 civil penalty if it’s not met.
LS-01 Council enforcement response, £250
Fixed price, confirmed in writing before you commit. Council and tribunal fees at cost on top.
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