As part of its strategy of promoting and defending the interests of the private rented sector the National Landlords Association (NLA) attended, at the Council’s invitation, the first meeting in 2005 of the London Borough of Camden’s Private Rented Scrutiny Panel.
The meeting, which was chaired by Councillor Jane Schopflin, took place at Camden Town Hall and is part of the enquiry Camden Council is undertaking into the private rented sector in the borough. The council sees such a forum as contributing to its aim of improving the quality and availability of private rented property in the area.
The NLA was represented by its Policy Officer, Elizabeth Brogan, who gave an overall view of the problems that face the average private landlord, and MaryAnn Pearce, the NLA London Representative, who drew on her own experience as a landlord.
“The NLA was pleased to be given the opportunity to explain to Camden councillors the issues that concern landlords and the actions that local authorities could take to ensure a thriving private rented sector in their area”, said Elizabeth Brogan. “We felt that the Panel had a genuine desire to hear the landlords’ point of view and demonstrated a willingness to have an open and mature discussion”.
Elizabeth Brogan continued: “We were also pleased that during the meeting, as a result of our presentation and comments by the landlords who attended, several areas for action in the borough were identified by the Panel. This is a real opportunity for the Scrutiny Panel to be more that just a “talking shop” and for landlords in Camden to see tangible benefits”.
