Landlords back call for strategic approach to rental housing sector

Following the release of a new National Audit Office (NAO) report today on the regulation of the private rented sector (PRS), the NRLA has responded to its key findings and explains what needs to be done to deliver an effective PRS which works in the interests of both landlords and tenants.

The NAO's report scrutinises the extent to which the private rented sector is fair for renters, and closely examines the various regulatory challenges which the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities currently faces in its efforts to deliver a better PRS for renters.

Reacting to the report's announcement, Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said:

“Regulation of the private rented sector needs to ensure that homes are safe and meet all required standards. Too often the approach to this has been piecemeal. It has led to a proliferation of initiatives such as licensing, banning orders and a rogue landlord database with little evidence to show they are working.

“We support the NAO’s call for a more strategic approach. There is a pressing need for a better evidence base to ensure the system focuses on rooting out criminal and rogue landlords who bring the sector into disrepute. Too often councils focus much of their time regulating compliant landlords who are easy to find.

“The NAO is right also to call for better enforcement of the regulations already in place. This needs to include tenants better understanding their rights and responsibilities. To improve enforcement, we are calling for the development of a meaningful national redress scheme for the sector as part of the Government’s forthcoming White Paper on rental reform.”