If your complaint is about unauthorised conversion work in a house of multiple occupation (HMO), please mention it in your report. If you have general concerns about a HMO, you can let us know by using our housing problem form.
Planning enforcement
Planning enforcement is where we look into complaints about work that might not have planning permission. We are required by law to investigate all reports. Under the Town and Country Planning Act 19909 (as amended), we have the authority to manage and address unauthorised development at our discretion.
The Local Enforcement Plan (LEP)
In the Local Enforcement Plan, you can find details about the legislation and:
- what is and is not a breach of planning in detail
- how to report a breach
- how cases are prioritised
- how we investigate
- the available actions
- the process flowchart
What we can investigate
Work which involves:
- the change of use of land or building without permission
- buildings, extensions, fences, or walls erected without permission
- works given approval, but are not in accordance with the plans
- non-compliance with conditions
- unauthorised advertisements
- unauthorised works to a listed building
- unauthorised works to protected trees
What we cannot investigate
- we do not enforce minerals and waste development. This is looked after by Kent County Council.
- boundary disputes
- unsafe building work on construction sites
- building problems which relate to building standards
- private covenants
- highway issues
A list of other agencies can be found in Appendix 1 of our LEP.
Report an issue
Before you make your report you should search for the application to see if we have granted permission. You will be able to see any conditions that apply.
We will need to know:
- your name, address and email address (we do not investigate anonymous complaints)
- the location
- the date and times
- what is happening
- how it's affecting you
- names of the people involved, for example the company or contractors
What happens next
Your report will be checked and prioritised. We will contact you after the initial site visit to let you know the outcome and if further action is required.
We do not give regular updates. You will only be updated with key events, such as the service of a notice or the submission of a planning application. Cases remain open until a satisfactory outcome has been reached. When it has, we will let you know.
More information can be found in the Local Enforcement Plan.
Types of action
There are different types of formal action we can take, including serving a:
- Temporary stop notice - lasting up to 56 days from the date served, and can be served without an enforcement notice.
- Breach of condition notice - served when a planning condition has been breached or with an enforcement notice. It takes effect after a minimum 28 days and can only be appealed through the high court.
- Enforcement notice - if the contravener disagrees, they can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate before it takes effect. They will decide on the appeal and have the power to grant planning permission for all or part of the development.
- Stop notice - can only be served in addition to an enforcement notice. This is used to stop significant harm.
Enforcement register
We are required to keep and publish a planning enforcement register, which shows details of the following notices:
- planning enforcement
- temporary stop
- stop notices
- breach of condition
The register contains filters to allow you to search for specific:
- types of notice
- effective dates
- compliance dates
- addresses
You can also complete a simple search to view and download a copy of a notice.
Research request
If you require written confirmation that an enforcement notice has been complied with, visit our research request webpage.