The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) recently met with new Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook to talk about enhancing standards within the rental sector. The discussion focused on various measures to improve the quality of rental housing and ensure better protection for tenants.
The NRLA views the Government’s plan to introduce a new landlord database as a significant opportunity. They believe this initiative could increase transparency regarding property safety and help to identify and remove rogue landlords from the sector, thus improving overall standards in rental housing.
Meera Chindooroy, Deputy Director for Campaigns, Public Affairs, and Policy at the NRLA, highlights the organisation’s commitment to enhancing standards in the rental sector. She states, “Our goal is to improve the overall quality of rental housing and to drive out rogue and criminal landlords. We believe that, if implemented effectively, the new database proposed by the Government can play a key role in helping us achieve these objectives.”
Chindooroy points out that enforcement practices currently vary significantly across different local authority areas. “Our research has shown that there is no uniform approach to how enforcement is carried out. This inconsistency can lead to uneven application of standards and regulations,” she explains.
The introduction of the new database could address these issues by providing a more streamlined and affordable system. “The database has the potential to tackle these disparities in a straightforward manner, allowing local councils to focus their efforts on identifying and managing landlords who are not meeting compliance requirements,” Chindooroy adds.
The NRLA has already met with Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook and is committed to collaborating on reforms that are both fair and practical. Their goal is to help the Government achieve its promises to tenants while also providing support for responsible landlords. This approach aims to create a balanced environment that encourages investment and maintains high standards within the rental sector.
The association’s involvement extends beyond meetings with government officials. The NRLA is part of a lettings advisory panel set up by Zoopla. This panel has recently taken steps to push for stricter regulations within the rental market. The focus of these efforts is to address the issues posed by rogue landlords and agents who lack proper training, ensuring that these problems are effectively tackled.
By advocating for these changes, the NRLA and the advisory panel hope to drive improvements in the rental industry. Their aim is to create a more transparent and reliable system, benefiting both tenants and landlords while enhancing the overall quality of rental housing.
The board’s letter to Pennycook wants the government to:
- Improve standards by ensuring fair practices among those who let and manage rental properties.
- Maintain high quality in rental accommodation.
- Ensure tenants can confirm that their rented property is safe.
- Assist regulatory authorities in identifying landlords and agents who do not comply with required standards.
The letter emphasised the critical need for industry input in the development of the new database. It stressed that involving stakeholders from the property sector is essential to ensure the database achieves its intended goals. This input will help align the database with the broader objective of establishing a decent homes standard for private rented properties.
The letter proposes that if the database is made accessible to property portals and lenders, it could facilitate automated regulation and enforcement. This would streamline processes and make it easier to monitor compliance with safety standards. Consequently, local authorities would be able to focus their resources on properties that do not meet the required safety certificates.
Such a system could improve the efficiency of regulatory efforts by reducing the burden on local councils. With automated checks and better access to information, authorities can more effectively address issues in properties that are failing to comply with safety requirements, thus enhancing overall housing quality.
The lettings group, which was established by Zoopla in 2020, plays a significant role in this initiative. It is co-chaired by Richard Donnell, the research chief at Zoopla, and Nicola Thivessen, a senior figure at the Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward agency. This leadership reflects a strong commitment to improving standards in the rental market.
The group’s membership includes a diverse range of professionals: Carrie Anderson from Hunters, Ben Beadle from the National Association of Residential Landlords, and letting agents Kristjan Byfield, Michael Cook, Kevin Day, Maxine Fothergill, and Eric Walker. Also included are mediation expert Julie Ford and two representatives from Zoopla and its parent company Houseful. Their collective expertise is aimed at ensuring the database effectively supports regulatory improvements.
