Rental reforms will fail without proper enforcement, warns PRS APPG

Government reforms to the private rented sector will fail without sufficient resources to ensure they can be enforced, according to MPs who form part of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Private Rented Sector.

The warning comes as the APPG, for which the NRLA acts as secretariat, publishes views from the various organisations and individuals who contribute to the group's work. The NRLA also provided a contribution to this latest summary of the group's discussions.

With the Renters (Reform) Bill heading towards report stage, the proposals it sets out will have a transformative effect on the market. Ranging from the proposed abolition of section 21 through to the introduction of a new Decent Homes Standard, the Bill is set to result in the most significant period of change the sector has witnessed in decades.

Amongst those who participated in the APPG publication, one theme emerged above all others - the need to address the behaviour of rogue and criminal landlords across the sector.

In particular, Chief Executive of the NRLA Ben Beadle warned that “the Government must prioritise enforcement of regulations to stamp out illegal activity.” Similarly the Centre for Social Justice has called for investment in enforcement capacity.

Aside from the above, MPs and Peers on the APPG also expressed their concern over whether or not local authorities have the ability to enforce forthcoming reforms without a significant increase in resources.

In its evidence to the Renters (Reform) Public Bill Committee, the Chartered Institute for Environmental Health warned that the number of environmental health officers (EHOs) are “not sufficient to deal with the existing numbers of tenant complaints.” It cited data showing that for every 10,000 private rented homes there were less than 3 EHOs.  

Likewise, the APPG also noted that both tenants and responsible landlords will be unable to defend their rights in a badly under-resourced courts system should section 21 evictions be scrapped.

With the end of section 21 likely to lead to an increase in contested possession hearings heard by the courts, the Law Society notes how “the courts are vastly overstretched: possession claims and the eviction process can take many months, sometimes more.”

The APPG is concerned not just about how long the justice system is likely to take to process legitimate possession claims under the new system, but also about the ability of tenants to uphold their rights.

Andrew Lewer MBE MP, the Chair of the APPG for the Private Rented Sector, said:

“It is vital that the Bill provides security to tenants, gives confidence to responsible landlords and roots out rogue and criminal landlords providing sub-standard housing.

“However, none of this will be possible without robust enforcement of the powers being proposed. 

“The Government needs to provide substantial multi-year funding to ensure councils have the resources they need to enforce the planned decent homes standard and ensure all rented homes are safe and secure.

“Likewise, tenants and landlords need to be confident that they will be able to enforce their rights in court in a timely and effective way when section 21 ends. It is simply unacceptable that ministers have provided scant detail about what improvements to the justice system will look like and when they will happen.”