“The meeting we had with John was very useful indeed and we covered a wide variety of topics that affect our sector”, said David Salusbury, Chairman of the NLA.
It was agreed at the meeting that there was a need to highlight the heavy burden of over regulation under which the private rented sector labours. The costs arising from this can seriously damage the viability of some lettings while also discouraging new investors from coming into the market, thus potentially reducing the amount of rented accommodation available. Local authorities have not always the resources required to implement such regulations and therefore these can be enforced unevenly, which discredits the whole process.
John Hayes believed that regulations should be introduced in partnership with private landlords and their representative bodies. The NLA was pleased to find common ground on its ideas that the sector should be working to set standards and provide information and opportunities for professional development for landlords
in the hope that eventually self-regulation could become the accepted way forward.
John Hayes emphasised very strongly the need to change public perceptions of the private rented sector.
“We accept that we need to get over to a wider audience the high level of tenant satisfaction that exists in our particular sector and the good practice that is in fact the norm amongst the overwhelming majority of private landlords”, continued David Salusbury. “It was clear that John had thought very carefully about the issues that affect the way we work. His comments and advice reinforced our determination to explain the increasingly professional way in which our part of the housing market operates. ”
