27 Nov 2025
News
RHE Global
The latest updates and insights from RIAMS Chief Editor Jeremy Manners
Welcome to November’s edition of RIAMS Unpacked, where I’ll give you a quick update on what’s new, what’s been reviewed and anything significant that has come across my desk in the world of environmental health.
I go on holiday for half term and look what happens! The Renters’ Rights Act received royal assent, Awaab’s Law comes into force for social landlords and the Food Standards Agency updates both the food law code of practice and practice guidance for England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
And . . . yet another senior government minister, this time the chancellor, falls foul of the law. Our guest blog by Jamie McGowan, housing specialist pupil barrister at Garden Court Chambers, discusses whether Rachel Reeves has a reasonable excuse for failing to license the four-bedroom home she rents out in Dulwich: Does the Chancellor Have a Reasonable Excuse?
I met up with Ellis Turner from the University of the West of England and joined fellow EH professionals Mike Williams (Food Alert), Rob Easton (Shield Safety) and Julia Wilson (Middlesex University) to discuss working in environmental health in the private sector and how to make the most of opportunities. You can listen to the podcast here. This reminded me of a blog I wrote last year, Five Tips for a Successful Environmental Health Interview, which I hope still proves useful for EHPs looking for a new role.
Ali Thomas and I also met up with Paul Oatt to have a further chat and address some of the outstanding questions from September’s Housing Roundtable on the skills and knowledge shortage in PSH enforcement. You can watch the follow-up video here.
Our next Housing Roundtable, sponsored by AirTrap, will be held on 2 December, where we will be welcoming Professor John Edwards. He will be sharing his expertise on damp and mould in buildings and offering advice on how to assess risks and find the right solutions. Register here.
Operation Jigsaw has been ramping up the training and guidance for LAs as the powers introduced by the Renters’ Rights Act get closer to implementation. Speak to your Operation Jigsaw regional rep to ensure you stay up to date.
In the news…
Here are some news stories that caught my eye over the last few weeks:
Richmond-Upon-Thames Council fined a woman £150 for pouring her leftover coffee down a road drain as she boarded a bus. Upon reflection, the council decided to cancel the fixed penalty notice (BBC News). Nonetheless, a helpful procedure and associated notice for environmental offences were at their disposal here in RIAMS Libraries!
The BBC reported on how Bristol City Council has a huge backlog of damp and mould complaints and will be unable to comply with the requirements of Awaab’s Law. The report highlighted that the council has 2,200 active damp and mould cases in its council-owned social housing stock. Clearly, this is not going to be a challenge that is confined to only one social housing provider but is likely to be representative across the country. Our training webinar Understanding and Managing Damp and Mould in Domestic Property has been updated – a few places are still available on 16 December.
Nineteen people who ate Sunday lunch at a pub in Cwmbran, Wales, on 5 October were confirmed by the local authority to have had food poisoning caused by Clostridium perfringens (Wales Online). Clostridium perfringens can develop spores which can survive cooking and germinate into viable cells during slow cooling and unrefrigerated storage. This story is a stark reminder of the importance of robust food safety processes for processing, storing and handling food correctly. We have a range of food procedures and associated templates on RIAMS Libraries relating to food sampling, inspections, complaints and investigations.
Legal and regulatory insights
Renters’ Rights Act 2025: After passing all of the political hurdles, the Act received royal assent on 27 October 2025. This has been a long time coming and represents massive changes in the private rented sector for England. Wasting no time, the government has issued a raft of guidance for local authorities and landlords and letting agents to support implementation.
November 2025 guidance:
Implementation roadmap: I have summarised the roadmap in a LinkedIn post here, detailing the implementation dates for the key provisions. The main date everyone is talking about is 1 May 2026, although for LHAs, 27 December 2025 is the first date practitioners will need to be aware of; this is when new investigatory powers come in (see the RIAMS procedure Renters’ Rights Act 2025, Part 4, Chapter 3: Investigatory Powers HP247E).
Crime and Policing Bill: This is currently at committee stage in the House of Lords.
Food Law COP and Practice Guidance: These were all updated on 23 October by the FSA for England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Awaab’s Law for social housing: Implementation of Phase 1 came in on 27 October 2025 for significant damp and mould hazards and all emergency hazards. The government guidance has been updated, as has the RIAMS Procedure Guidance Note: Awaab’s Law HP256E and our free Navigating Awaab’s Law: Guidance for Social Landlords e-learning.
HMO Licensing in Northern Ireland: Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has indicated his intention to increase the maximum HMO licensing fee that councils can charge landlords.
Tobacco and Vapes Bill: This is currently at committee stage in the House of Lords. The headline measure of the bill aims to create a ‘smoke-free generation’ by banning tobacco sales to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. A call for evidence to help support policy development is open until 3 December.
Supporting economic growth and reducing regulatory burden: The Treasury and the Department for Business and Trade have set out plans to support innovation and economic growth, and are seeking views from businesses on how they are impacted by regulations.
Primate licensing: The Institute of Licensing is running an awareness campaign on the new primate licensing requirements that come into force on 6 April 2026. Procedures and documents to support practitioners can be found in RIAMS Libraries.
Martyn's Law myth buster and leaflet has been published by the Home Office to support existing guidance and public understanding.
What’s new on RIAMS Libraries?
Streamlined support for local authority enforcement
RIAMS Libraries is an online subscription platform that provides a comprehensive library of practical and easily accessible procedures, notices, letters, guidance and forms covering all specialisms of environmental health. Supporting local authorities in delivering robust and consistent enforcement, RIAMS provides a cost-effective solution for your team, keeping your officers on the front line.
During October, we updated 202 documents on RIAMS Libraries and reviewed 100 procedures for England, Northern Ireland and Wales. We also added new procedures on:
Remediation Orders under the Building Safety Act 2022 HP260E , together with a template letter of claim
Housing and Licensing Team Enforcement Policy: This model policy was developed by Justice for Tenants to incorporate the new requirements under the Renters’ Rights Act. I met up with JfT’s founder Al Mcclenahan to discuss the work they are doing and why a consistent policy is so important. Read the blog here.
If your organisation doesn’t yet subscribe to RIAMS Libraries, contact RHE Global to request a free demonstration and trial.
What’s new on RIAMS Communities?
Local authority practitioners continue to sign up to our environmental health forums and engage in conversations. Take the opportunity to join the discussion and network with colleagues in your chosen subject areas here.
Take a look at our guest blog by Jamie McGowan, housing specialist pupil barrister at Garden Court Chambers, on the Rachel Reeves renting debacle: Does the Chancellor Have a Reasonable Excuse?
Thanks to Dr Tim Everett for providing some further tribunal decisions, now available in Housing Professionals.
And we have published the Housing Roundtable Q&A session with Paul Oatt, available here.
RHE Global
RHE Global supports environmental health practitioners across all specialisms to work smarter, network and share best practices. Visit RIAMS to stay up to date with the latest environmental health developments and discussions.
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