A key member of the Regulation of Property Agents working party says the licensing of private landlords is “on the horizon” but remains a vast piece of work before it can take effect.

Mark Hayward, chief executive of the National Association of Estate Agents Propertymark organisation, was one of the most high-profile members of the RoPA working party which reported 18 months ago, with a series of recommendations to government on the regulation of the property industry.

Although there was no direct demand for landlords to be regulated, the RoPA recommendations included mandatory qualifications and licensing for lettings and sales agents, a new code of practice, an official regulator and various changes to the consumer-facing aspect of agency activities.

The aim of the RoPA report was to make the industry more transparent.

Although private landlords were not within the remit of RoPA, NAEA chief Hayward now says licensing is “on the horizon.”

But it’s not going to happen imminently, he admits, because “it’s a vast piece of work to find out who [private landlords] are, where they are and how they could be regulated.”

With regard to agency regulation, Hayward adds: “It’s still very much on the agenda. It’s just the precise timing that’s the issue. It’s something that the government wants to move forward, it’s got cross-party support so it will happening. It just needs primary legislation, and finding time for that is difficult.“

You can see many more details of the RoPA recommendations here.