Pub company compliance

The Pubs Code places legal duties on the regulated pub companies to verify and demonstrate their compliance through appointing a Code Compliance Officer and annual reporting to the PCA. The PCA also requires pub companies to self-report any breaches of the Pubs Code. 

The Pubs Code requires pub companies to appoint a Code Compliance Officer (CCO). This is an employee of the pub company whose job it is to verify their pub company’s compliance with the Code. 

The CCO is the point of contact for tied tenants with Code queries. The PCA has an important relationship with each CCO, and meets regularly with them as a group to address compliance issues and promote good practice

Contact details for the CCOs can be found here.

The Pubs Code requires each pub company to submit an annual compliance report to the PCA for the period ending 31 March each year. The CCO is responsible for making sure this is submitted. 

The compliance report must accurately account for the pub company’s compliance with the Pubs Code. It will also include information about the pub company’s tied estate and Pubs Code rights exercised by their tenants under the Code.  

Annual compliance reports are published on the websites of the regulated pub companies. 

The PCA requires regulated pub companies to self-report any failure to comply with the Pubs Code (referred to as a breach). If the CCO identifies that their pub company has breached the Pubs Code, the PCA expects to be notified as soon as possible.  

The CCO must complete a standard form to provide the PCA with information about the breach (called a self-report).  

The self-report ensures the PCA is made aware of the pub company’s understanding of the breach, how it happened and the impact on tied tenants. The pub company must also let the PCA know what action it is taking to prevent the breach happening again and to put matters right for tenants. This should include the steps it has taken or intends to take to tell tenants about the breach, and how they can find out further information if they have been affected.  

The self-reporting of breaches helps the PCA to trust that a pub company can effectively monitor Pubs Code compliance and take appropriate and timely action in response to breaches. The PCA may consider this when deciding what, if any, further regulatory action is needed.  

The PCA publishes a register of self-reported breaches to share information with the industry about how the Code is working and how breaches have been dealt with. The register includes a description of the breach and other relevant information, such as action taken in response. 

Please note, the self-reported breaches register will be moving over to this website in due course.