Announcing the plan, Housing Minister, Yvette Cooper, said an independent review would be conducted to look at the problems tenants and landlords faced and what worked well in the sector.
With almost 2.6 million homes in England being rented from over half a million private landlords, a Citizens Advice Bureau report last year found 20 per cent of tenants were dissatisfied with the quality of repairs carried out by their landlord and feared retaliatory action if they complained to authorities.
However, landlords can also face problems, with poor tenants not paying rent and anti-social behaviour.
Therefore, the review will look how the increasing numbers in rental accommodation and student tenants have impacted on the private rented sector, the quality of homes and who the users are.
Cooper said: “Too few people are aware of their rights and responsibilities, either as tenants or landlords.
"We have seen a big increase in the private rented sector and particularly in buy-to-let. It is important we review the impact of this.”
The review will be headed by Julie Rugg and David Rhodes from the Centre for Housing Policy at York University.
Rugg said: “Many people experience renting privately at some point in their lives, but it isn’t a sector that’s well understood. This is a good time for a review.”
David Salusbury, chairman of the National Landlords Association, said: “The vast majority of landlords are professional business people who take their responsibilities to tenants very seriously.
"This review will consider the impact of the growth of the buy-to-let sector as well as explore how the regulatory changes have sought to raise standards in the sector.”
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