Because of this it has labelled the latest Government recommendations on the private-rented sector “well-meaning but flawed”.
Eight months after the Rugg Review into the private-rented sector was produced, the Government recently published its plans for the English rental market. As expected, among the many recommendations is the proposal to introduce a national register of landlords.
Proposed as a ‘light-touch, no hurdles’ scheme, it would be administered by an independent body, with landlords paying a small fee in return for a unique landlord registration number. Having to re-register annually, landlords would use their registration number on tenancy agreements, in court proceedings and at local authority Housing Benefit offices.
But what is a light touch, no hurdles scheme? The NLA believes this is not the case with the Government’s planned landlord database. The proposals require every landlord to register not only their name and address but also the addresses of all of the properties they let. To many landlords this is overly intrusive. There are concerns at how this will be policed. To the NLA these requirements represent a major hurdle.
The NLA believes that any new legislation in England must focus on both driving up standards in the industry and rooting out rogue landlords. The NLA want to assist Government in this aim.
David Salusbury, chairman of the NLA said: "In the current economic climate, the last thing good landlords need is to feel penalised. Reform must be workable for landlords and not damage the private-rented sector.
“This prompts the question of how will this scheme route out rogue landlords? The answer is that it probably will not. The problem with any redress system is knowledge. Enforcers cannot go out and find persistent abusers. Unless tenants are made aware of their rights and are told that they can complain then even the most effective redress and enforcement system will be utterly useless.”
