The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) is calling for positive changes to eliminate rogue landlords from the rental sector.
As a member of the Lettings Advisory Board, the NRLA has contributed to recommendations to the government, and it has described the plan for a new landlord database as ‘an opportunity to create transparency of property safety and drive rogue landlords from the sector’.
The association said it supports proposals to raise standards, with the caveat that they do not create excessive red tape for landlords.
The Lettings Advisory Board, established by property portal Zoopla, consists of key industry stakeholders who discuss ways to improve the private rented sector for landlords, tenants, and related businesses.
The board has sent a letter to the new government, outlining proposals to:
- Raise standards by levelling the playing field for those letting and managing rented homes.
- Safeguard the quality of accommodation.
- Help tenants know the property they are renting is safe.
- Help regulatory authorities in identifying those who do not meet the required standards.
The letter emphasised the importance of industry input in designing the landlord database to ensure it achieves its goals and aligns with the ambition for a decent homes standard for private rentals.
The letter also noted that a database accessible to property portals and lenders could enable automated regulation and enforcement, allowing local authorities to concentrate on properties lacking required safety certificates.
Meera Chindooroy, the NRLA’s deputy director for campaigns, public affairs and policy, said: “We are committed to raising standards and driving rogue and criminal landlords out of the sector and – implemented in the right way – the new database can help do that.
“We know from our own research that the approach to enforcement varies across local authority areas. The new system has the potential to challenge these disparities in a simple and affordable way, allowing councils to focus on identifying and dealing with landlords who are not compliant.
“The NRLA has already met with housing minister Matthew Pennycook and will work constructively to bring about fair and workable reform that will allow the government to meet its commitment to tenants while supporting responsible landlords and encouraging investment.”
The government’s Renters’ Rights Bill is expected to be published later this year.
If the NRLA is there to represent the interests of landlords (which is supposedly why it exists) then why is it not campaigning for a register of tenants??? The effect of a non-paying, house-wrecking tenant is devastating and IMHO it’s a disgrace that the biggest trade body that represents landlords is not on the case with this.
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Rogue landlords rent under the radar and will never be gotten rid. More legislation just affects good landlords who are barely seeing any profit. CGT hikes will also kill the buy to let sector. NRLA should be looking after their members and fighting for them not tenants. It would be nice to see NRLA fight for a CGT reduction for landlords at a time when rental properties are becoming so difficult to come by. Labour’s new Renters’ Rights bill will see thousands more landlords just selling up especially if Labour go ahead with net zero and EPC of C. What about Landlords’ Rights? Getting rid of s21 will have worse affect on tenants than landlords as many tenants will now have a CCJ against them as landlords used s21 and just wrote off rent arrears.
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You are right. The rogues won’t sign up to any of this and how are councils going to locate them and their properties, are they going to go out looking for them knocking on every door and asking? It is just going to cost good landlords money that will be passed on in increased rent. Rogues normally have some sort of hold over their tenants that makes their tenants unlikely to complain and expose them.
I think many Councils take a lax attitude to exposing rogues as dealing would them would mean actually getting of their backsides instead of drinking tea in the town hall (if they are not WFH that is.). Exposed rogues mean ex-tenants to be housed and the councils don’t have the money or places to house them. So why stir up a hornet’s nest?
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Not Really Landlords Association.
I will not be renewing this year. I may join iHowz.
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It is common knowledge that in certain communities landlords flout the housing laws because they have a hold over low paid [probably illegal] tenants, often sharing rooms on a ‘shift’ basis, and there are no records for the council to use to track them. I lived in Brentford until 2019, and this behaviour was not a secret. Drone surveys identified tenants forced to live in garden sheds.
Meanwhile, shelter and GR lobby for, and are granted law changes, which hit decent, law-abiding and tax-paying landlords, but do nothing for those tenants who are really suffering under rogue landlords.
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