House of Commons Committee report – Regulation of private renting

House of Commons Committee report – Regulation of private renting

8:21 AM, 13th April 2022, About 2 years ago 15

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The House of Commons Committee have today 13th April 2022 released their report investigating the regulation of the Private Rental Sector (PRS). This includes recommendations to the government that they have two months to respond to. Click here for the summary and to download the full report.

The summary concludes that: “The sector is failing far too often to provide safe and secure homes for renters, with 13% (589,000) of privately rented properties currently posing a serious threat to the health and safety of renters, costing the NHS an estimated £340 million each year. Tenants are unable to realise their right to a safe and secure home due to an inaccessible and complex regulatory framework and the threat of retaliatory eviction.”

“Regulation by local authorities is under capacity and not providing appropriate and consistent protection for tenants. The sector is a postcode lottery of local authority enforcement, with 21% of all privately rented homes in one region estimated to be severely unsafe. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (the Department) does not know what base level of resource local authorities need to ensure landlords comply with legal minimum standards, and it is not proactive enough in supporting them to regulate effectively.

“The Department has only made piecemeal legislative changes in recent years, and in doing so has made the regulatory system even more overly complex and difficult to navigate for tenants, landlords and local authorities.”


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Comments

Mick Roberts

9:35 AM, 13th April 2022, About 2 years ago

And once again they have this meeting without talking to the biggest Benefit Landlord in Nottingham.
I'd like to say the Sector that requires these 2022 New Build Standards, can they get some joined up thinking & go talk to their sister departments & ask how a 2014 Housing Benefit rent of £550 can expect to pay for a 2022 rent of £800. Where is the Benefit tenant gonna' get this difference from?

I'm sure many of us would buy these tenants New Builds if we knew we was gonna' get the appropriate rent that a New Build commands.

Again by their figures, a whopping 79% are safe, so u gonna' charge all the good 79% are u?

Monty Bodkin

10:40 AM, 13th April 2022, About 2 years ago

Not one mention or consideration of the consequences of over regulating the Private Rented Sector.

The Committee should try finding a property to rent for a less than perfect tenant. The chickens are already coming home to roost.

Mick Roberts

11:01 AM, 13th April 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Monty Bodkin at 13/04/2022 - 10:40
Ha ha Yes, well said Monty:

The Committee should try finding a property to rent for a less than perfect tenant

moneymanager

11:04 AM, 13th April 2022, About 2 years ago

"We heard from the
Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association that the Government’s
commitment to abolish abolition Section 21 would provide a ‘new opportunity to refresh
the sector’,"

Ben Beadle is demonstrating that he is living up to his Victorian namesake and very probably his brief at outset, he is not reperesenting the vast majority of good and decent landlords, in all parts of the sector, but is coralling its own membership and foisting on the sector yet more indefensible costs.

We resigned our membership some time ago.

Helen

12:06 PM, 13th April 2022, About 2 years ago

Having ploughed through most of the report at least it admits that the Department and Local Authorities don't really know what's going on in the sector and LA have only inspected 0.1% of private rented homes. With this in mind of course they are made aware when tenants complain but the happy ones are not going to speak up are they? So the discontent is exaggerated.
They admit that they need to understand the sector more in order to act and are wondering how to do this - the knee jerk reaction is of course increased regulation.
The report is of course biased towards tenants but we all know that making landlords' lives more difficult affects tenants as well, as we have less money for repairs and are more likely to exit the sector, resulting in lack of rental stock and rising rents as has happened in many parts of the country where regulation has increased. It talks about landlords having the ability to 'impact tenants' mental health.' Well, of course it works both ways.

Mick Roberts

12:10 PM, 13th April 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by at 13/04/2022 - 12:06
I've said this hundreds of times to Licensing.
My tenants don't come in to u & say Ooh Mick just done me a brand new boiler. Or Mick has just done me brand new composite door.
No, they never hear from those that haven't got a problem.

It used to work Free market, if they wasn't happy, they'd move up the road to a house cheaper. Supply Demand. Now there is no supply & demand massive.

I haven't had any of these for years, as me tenants can't just up & go any more.

https://youtu.be/i_HKaqYlHi4 Tenants from Hell Bulwell.

https://youtu.be/OzqVVRlZzE8 Tenants from Hell Bestwood Park

https://youtu.be/QcENHbgfMR4 Tenants from Hell Top Valley Nov 2010

https://youtu.be/_UvO8dmxGQQ Tenants from Hell May 12th 2010.

https://youtu.be/DzRIyfLHRn0 Tenants from Hell May 10th 2010.

The rest are on http://www.youtube.com/mickroberts2006
I han't done any for years.

Chris @ Possession Friend

12:36 PM, 13th April 2022, About 2 years ago

Two points glaring missed –

It the Govt’s responsibility to house and accommodate people who can’t afford to provide for their own means. There is No ‘Law’ compulsion upon Private Landlords to house any of the Governments ‘problem children’

Whilst a number of Tenants in receipt of benefit are housed by the Private sector, that is the choice of the property owner and cannot be -co-opted into state provision – much as its being tried by various pieces of legislation.

All this achieves is a reduction of supply and increases costs for that provision that remains.

Council and Social Housing always seem to miss attention, repeatedly and unfairly biased against the PRS.

Critics should clean up their own back yard.

Luke P

12:43 PM, 13th April 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mick Roberts at 13/04/2022 - 09:35
It's alright, Mick...they didn't talk to the second largest nationally either. Between the two of us and a handful of others I know operating in this section of the market, we could cause LAs the biggest headache they could ever imagine. Single-handedly we were able to alter the old LHA rates...until they stopped bothering to collect data from us (because it didn't suit their expectations).

Mick Roberts

12:52 PM, 13th April 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Luke P at 13/04/2022 - 12:43
Yes Luke,

Why not talk to the likes of u & me, & come ask us, what we think they doing wrong.

Yes now u mention it, I've not been asked by the Rent Officer for years to give 'em data.

Luke P

15:21 PM, 13th April 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by moneymanager at 13/04/2022 - 11:04
I didn't know You've Been Framed's Jeremy was born in the late-19th Century...?!

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