Landlords not to blame for childminding crisis

The NRLA has responded to a call from the Government which encourages landlords to be more 'open-minded' when tenants ask to operate as childminders from their rental property.

The call - which takes the form of a letter written by Children and Families Minister Claire Coutinho MP - aims to make it easier for prospective childminders to work from their homes.

In response to this letter, Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said:

“No landlord wants to stand in the way of the provision of childcare, but the Government must recognise that housing providers are not the issue. 

“The Government’s encouragement to landlords to ‘be open-minded’ is no-doubt well-meaning but fails entirely to acknowledge the very real issues facing the childcare industry or the legitimate concerns of housing providers. 

“Mortgage lenders and insurers need to be more flexible in enabling landlords to allow childminders to operate from the properties they let. Tenancy deposits must also be allowed to reflect the greater risk of damage to properties being used for childminding. 

“We will continue to work with the Government on the difficulties and barriers landlords face in enabling tenants to become childminders but refuse to accept the blame for systemic issues in another industry.”