Rental reform on the table as Housing Secretary Michael Gove meets with NRLA
Housing Secretary Michael Gove has met with NRLA Chief Executive Ben Beadle to talk rental reform, standards and investment.
In what was a major coup for the association the housing secretary invited Ben to meet him in Whitehall yesterday, just weeks after the influential Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee revealed it was adopting a number of NRLA proposals on rental reform as recommendations to Government.
Rental reform was top of the agenda, with Mr Gove keen to find out more about the association’s proposals around anti-social behaviour and committing to work with the NRLA to strengthen provisions.
Anti-social behaviour is one of the key pillars of the NRLA’s campaigning on rental reform, with Ben telling the housing secretary not only how common it is – with 50% of the association’s membership needing to repossess homes because of problem or criminal tenants – but also the lack of support on the ground.
The related issue of court reform was also up for discussion, with the housing secretary paying keen attention to NRLA asks – which have already garnered select committee support – and taking notes on the association’s proposals as regard early resolution of low-level complaints via mediation.
New Housing Minister Rachel Maclean also joined meeting to discuss issues around student lets and the abolition of the fixed term. She is now leading on the PRS brief, taking over from Felicity Buchan – and Rachael has agreed to meet Ben to discuss the student issue in more detail.
Issues with housing standards and their enforcement have hit the headlines in recent months, following the tragic death of toddler Awaab Ishak as a result of mould in his housing association home back in 2020.
Picture caption: Ben Beadle, NRLA CEO (left) with Michael Gove MP
Ben wrote to Mr Gove in the wake of the tragedy to talk about the need for targeted enforcement action across all tenures to ensure standards are met. He followed this up with discussions on new NRLA research highlighting the enforcement lottery landlords are facing depending on where they live.
He stressed good landlords should not be punished for the failings of the minority – and that the association is keen to work with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on developing ideas that would allow these landlords to easily prove their compliance, freeing up resources to tackle the rogues. Mr Gove, for his part, agreed to remind local authorities of their obligations, but very much agreed with the sentiment of making it easier for the responsible landlord majority.
Ben said: “To be invited to meet the Housing Secretary was a real coup for us, and recognition of all the hard work the NRLA has been putting in on the ground to highlight the issues that matter to our members.
“This meeting was all about getting landlords’ voices heard at the very highest level and I am pleased to report Michael Gove was fully supportive of a PRS made up of responsible landlords – congratulating us on a job well done in representing them. But I left him with no doubt about the serious situation we are in, with supply outstripping demand and the reasons behind that. It is important to back the PRS and show how important it is to this country.
“In the wake of an extremely productive afternoon we are scheduling follow up meetings with other Ministers and senior civil servants to develop workable solutions to issues within the sector to create a PRS that works for landlords and tenants alike.”