New government guidance to protect tenants

New government guidance to protect tenants

14:17 PM, 9th April 2019, About 5 years ago 9

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New online support as part of government’s commitment to give greater protection to tenants, and reform the private rented sector for the better – written by MHCLG and Heather Wheeler MP.

Local authorities across the country are set to receive a new package of online support as part of the government’s commitment to give greater protection to tenants, and reform the private rented sector for the better.

The publication of 2 new guidance documents today (9 April 2019), one for local authority enforcement practitioners and another for tenants and landlords, signals the latest step in the government cracking down on the small minority of criminal landlords who exploit tenants for their own gains.

Local authority enforcement officers play a crucial role in making sure people in rented accommodation have somewhere safe and secure to live.

Following the success of a nationwide programme of workshops rolled out by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to help enforcement officers learn from one another, the guidance published today ensures those responsible for protecting tenants can use the powers available to them to maximum effect.

The new support includes an easy to navigate digital enforcement package with online learning modules for those officers who were unable to attend the national programme.

The guide for tenants and landlords brings together the rights and responsibilities of each, provides links to in depth guidance on legislation and complements previous steps by the government to support those in the private rented sector, including through the How to let and How to rent guides.

Housing Minister Heather Wheeler MP said:

“This package of support for those working on the frontline of the private rented sector will ensure they are fully equipped to make use of any new powers which can improve the lives of tenants trapped in poor quality accommodation.

“This, along with our further guidance for tenants and landlords on their rights and responsibilities, builds on the ongoing work which sets out to make renting fairer and more accessible for all whilst also ensuring that everyone has a home which is safe and secure.”

Further information


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Comments

Ros poldermans

9:23 AM, 10th April 2019, About 5 years ago

How many landlords attended the work shop? Still no protect for Landlords.
When are we getting protection against bad tenants

Coastal

10:56 AM, 10th April 2019, About 5 years ago

This government culture of constantly targeting landlords due to a small minority of unprofessional landlords will in turn push up rents and reduce the amount of rental choice as a direct result of many landlords exiting the business. In addition, there is a real danger here of more tenants adopting a 'what you going to do about it' response when causing anti social with other tenants, dealing, trashing the property (which has happened to me several times!) not to mention rent arrears etc. Backed with the knowledge of ever increasing full tenant support by government, there's a real risk of this 'what you going to do about it...no responsibility' mentality being taken, rather like what happened in schools and with the Police! Whats needed also is a government funded rogue tenant 'one stop shop' type database for landlords, which would create some balance for all parties. I guess it's not a vote winner though like bashing all landlords...good or bad!

Luke P

11:05 AM, 10th April 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Coastal at 10/04/2019 - 10:56
But then LLs wouldn't take the bad tenants that appeared on the database and they'd become the local authorities' problem. They don't have the resources to deal with them, so they simply won't create such list.

Joe Armstrong

11:37 AM, 10th April 2019, About 5 years ago

There's nothing new about bad landlords. They've been around thousands of years. Are people silly enough to believe that the council or government really cares about people who rent privately from a minority of bad ones? No. But look at what has happened recently. Countless ordinary people who got stiffed in their pensions decided or were advised to get into property. So they're all penned in now like cattle being circled by hungry predators. Media peddles biaised stories which results in the man in the street thinking private landlords are parasitic scum who deserve to robbed. Bad tenant database? Forget it. They're already pressurising agents to stop landlords rejecting DSS applicants. So that's the erosion of any vetting proceedure. That'll be discrimination. (Its okay for insurance companies to refuse policies or charge more though for high-risk catagories though)
I get frustrated when I hear landlords saying 'we're getting penalised for the actions of the few bad landlords' NO. Missing the point entirely. Its like cows going into the slaughterhouse thinking 'if it wasn't for one or two really tasty beasts, this wouldn't be happening'

Coastal

12:25 PM, 10th April 2019, About 5 years ago

Your spot on regarding pensions, it wasn't long ago most financial experts were on record and in the media advising that property was the right way forward due to the failings of indicated pension returns. Now of course we find the goal posts have been moved with BTL, resulting in this form of pension being steered into the ground also! However, back to the main point...whilst recently attending an NLA meeting, it wasn't landlords stating their getting penalised for actions of the few, but local government attendees who spent nearly two hours covering the many changes coming in, including the protecting tenants new bill, rogue landlords database along with the various non compliance fines that will apply. Their reasons were stated as being as a direct result of minority bad landlords which are causing these changes. The NLA meetings are very welcome and worthwhile, but on this particular event, I think most landlords left that day feeling totally depressed!!

Appalled Landlord

17:37 PM, 10th April 2019, About 5 years ago

Rogue Landlord is now an official government term for criminal landlords, judging by the title of the enforcement guidance.

Ian Narbeth

13:49 PM, 12th April 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Appalled Landlord at 10/04/2019 - 17:37Rogue landlord is now a standard media term for any residential landlord! Correction, not for housing associations and local authority landlords who it goes without saying are paragons but any PRS landlord.

Rob Crawford

22:45 PM, 12th April 2019, About 5 years ago

The guide for tenants and landlords seems ok to me. The one thing I would not do as a landlord is communicate, as advised, to the LA your serving of a possession notice. If you do, it's guaranteed that the LA will advise the tenant to stay until the bailiffs come. So what do you gain? I note the section on eviction does not advise the tenant that if they don't leave at the end of the notice period then they are in breach of contract and won't get good references from the landlord and there maybe court and other costs to cover etc.

bob the builder

8:31 AM, 13th April 2019, About 5 years ago

For LL's just exploitation.

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