Welsh Housing Bill “a bureaucratic mess” says NLA

The Housing (Wales) Bill, introduced on Tuesday by Carl Sargent AM, has confirmed the Welsh Government’s plans to require all landlords and letting agents to register and become licensed by their respective local authorities.

Commenting on the bill, NLA chief executive officer, Richard Lambert said: “While it comes as no surprise that the Welsh Government wishes to register all private landlords, it is deeply disappointing that the plans appear mired in burdensome bureaucracy. The requirements outlined in the Housing (Wales) Bill requires landlords to not only register, but to subsequently obtain a licence from what could be numerous local authorities – each of which may stipulate its own conditions and fees. Duplication is inevitable.

“It is unnecessary, and unhelpful, to require private landlords to submit details of their investments to a public register in the name of driving improvements and rooting out criminals. Far from combatting criminality within the private-rented sector and offering solutions to the undersupply of residential property, these measures look certain to increase the cost of providing homes by forcing landlords to comply with yet more red-tape.

“The NLA shares the Welsh Government’s desire to raise standards in the private-rented sector but we remain unconvinced that a national register of landlords is the right approach. It will only serve to increase the cost of living for many hard working families as the fee for registering and subsequently obtaining a license  will inevitably be passed on to tenants.”