Radical rental reforms to be announced this week

Interesting. The Tories/government really do seem to have fallen out of love with landlords. I suppose they are banking on landlords still voting Conservative - which is probably quite a fair bet - but a risky strategy nonetheless.

Nothing wrong with regulation and redress, but I'm not sure how a national landlord register would work in theory and how effective it would be. Haven't there only been about 5 banning orders placed on landlords since they were introduced? I can see the new system being similarly toothless in terms of rooting out the rogues.

• Andrew townshend
• 31 January 2022 12:29 PM

We don't have a Tory government we have new labour in all but name

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• John McKay
• 31 January 2022 15:24 PM

I've not voted Tory since Osborne attacked us (actually I've not voted for anyone else either). There's only one of me and the Conservative Party couldn't care less.

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But we already have Landlord licensing which asks fro EPC, gas cert etc. Just another crowd pleasing stunt

We have had landlord registration in Scotland for years now. It works ok though I am not sure how much effect it has had on "dodgy" landlords who choose to operate below the radar as like anything it needs to be policed.

No problem with a National Register for Landlords. It will only concern the unprofessional and non- compliant. Landlords not having to fulfil the same compliance as Agents is a loophole that needs closing. There will be a cost no doubt, and that should be a steer to self-managed Landlord to a regulated agent, as I'm guessing the Landlord will then come under the Agent's umbrella.
99% of Landlord's on here are I'm sure fully compliant, but it cannot be denied there is still a 'wild West' of substandard housing and non-compliant Landlords, especially in the poorer areas. This is where the criminal focus needs to be, and not by bullying the compliant who already jump through enough hoops.

I have no problem having my details on a landlord register, the only likely effect of this will be to push rents up still further and push rogue tenants into the hands of rogue landlords they deserve each other

• John McKay
• 31 January 2022 15:26 PM

I have only one problem in that it will probably not conform to GDPR and so my address is freely available. I get enough letters as it is from people that want to take over my HMOs.

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........and another nail in the coffin of the PRS, the dodgy LL's will simply ignore it in a similar way that dodgy drivers who get into a car without insurance and an MOT have not a care in the world for any changes to legislation. There will be a nice little charge of course (far more than it actually costs) which no doubt will go straight into the back pockets of the local councils (nice one). This will simply add to the overall impression that we are all here to be taxed until we squeak. The EPC C will make me sell.... this is just the cherry on the top.

If they replace the ripoff licensing that I have to pay for here, then I'm ok with a national register. What I would like though, is for my contact details (address etc) to be hidden. As a local licenced landlord, I get endless letters trying to sell me the latest scams - what happened to data protection?
Edit - just had a thought re data protection. That's a bit of a minefield in its own right. Maybe our useless NRLA could raise this with Gove

• Andrew townshend
• 31 January 2022 12:45 PM

I get them as well Doug they go straight into my wood burner stove often without even opening the envelope, and similar emails aren't opened just blocked

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No doubt we will also have to pay an annual fee for the priviledge of confirming our details on the register to pay for it's expenses!

• Andrew townshend
• 31 January 2022 12:48 PM

No we won't Paul, our tenants will be paying that + 10% to cover our time involved

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• Theodor Cable
• 31 January 2022 15:50 PM

And what happens if I do not pay or tell them I do not want to be on the list?

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Do we not already have "legislation requiring landlords to improve energy efficiency in some 800,000 properties"? It's called EPC E. is this going to somehow bring in higher EPC requirements though the back door?

Time for a song to the tune of 3 wheels on my wagon:

Another nail in the coffin,
The PRS is still limping’ along,
The policies are after me,
But they don’t know
it’s time to go,
And I’ll be singing a happy song…

With no bad tenants, silly legislation, selective licensing, or punative taxes.

Sorry but I couldn’t make tha last line fit in anywhere 🤣

Andrew not a hope on this one of increasing rents. Government has already raided the piggy banks. Tenants can’t sustain current rents and the desperate economic situation
now facing the Country. They seem to be more concerned about a few drinks topping out at Christmas in No 10’s back garden than sleep walking into a war situation.

I feel anything to drive out bad landlords giving our industry a terrible name is a good thing. Having a national register could help patterns to be spotted and best practice to be shared and implemented. A properly thought through policy is required through engagement with our community via NRLA and to work with us in being part of the solution. . However joined up thinking is something our Government has proved itself to be utterly incompetent at and the NRLA has proved itself to be as useful as a chocolate fire guard!! So instead we need to get ready for further hurdles in our way to deliver quality affordable housing to our customers and continue be the whipping boys to divert peoples attention away from the true cause of the housing crisis!

• John McKay
• 31 January 2022 15:29 PM

"A properly thought through policy is required through engagement with our community via NRLA and to work with us in being part of the solution"

Thanks for that, it made me chuckle.

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Yet another stupid worthless idea, as everyone has said, it won’t deter the rogue Landlords. I would be interested to see a register of Landlords that states their ethnic origin.

Well best practice only works in your property where Tenants are good no problem, when you get lumbered with bad Tenants its no different what you do everything will be wrong, a bit like the Occupants that keep the place nice & tidy instead of the ones can’t even be bothered to put rubbish out in the bins for collection but throw it in back garden.

Algarve, I suppose you have loads of HMO License’s and renewed 3 times for most part, Then again maybe not or any so nothing wrong with registration and redress Schemes then what for, when some Borough are taken up to £20m out of Private Rented Sector then complain about affordable housing, some LL’s not yet affected are feeling
comfortable. I hope it stays fine for you.

A compulsory national register for ALL landlords if properly managed could be a good thing, if done at LOW(ish) cost registration fee. All key documents could be uploaded online by landlords with landlords needing to update them, limiting costly administration and duplication. You'd be expected to engage or be fined like if you don't pay your TV license. It could possibly be handled effectively in partnership with the NRLA (with the government funding the NRLA to oversee) as part of a compulsory membership that also assists landlords to understand and act on their responsibilities and this would to stop unnecessary duplication, and the government making a hash of it as government tends too when they involve ministers, their 'mates', and highly paid management consultant - all whom have little grasp on the issues in hand so are often clueless and we end up with a botch.
I'd rather have a central equitable national register and completely scrap the local licensing schemes 'managed' by local councils as so far mostly it is the decent landlords that pay, and the rogue landlords do not, with very few prosecutions except in extreme cases.

• Luke Aaron
• 01 February 2022 08:53 AM

One (of many) problems is, they'd allow the local authority to administer and police it. They are some of the biggest culprits of rule-breaking themselves. Remember when a couple tried to set up a letting agency and fell at the first hurdle, failing to display an EPC for an advertised property. They're utterly clueless. The only way I'd want to accept such a register and the councils to operate it would be if I/an independent body could monitor and fine these local authorities for their own property breaches. I'd maybe even make it my full-time hobby!! **cough** Grenfell ** cough**

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We have Data Protection Act and ICO’s that we already pay annual fee for the privilege. Amazing now you want a Register and we can pay for this to tell them what’s being protected by the Data Protection Act.

• Theodor Cable
• 31 January 2022 15:55 PM

And what about a compulsory national register for ALL TENANTS to see who are the good and reliable ones and the ones that trash and wreck other people's property for no reason? And walk scot free...!!!!!!!!!!!???????????????

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They’re just following orders …

Reminds me of the last lot that said that , history repeats itself

Jackie my friend not a hope its all wishful thinking with greatest respect to you. The HMO’s primary purpose is to gather £b’s for Local Authority’s and Government, don’t rise an eye brow or get slapped down £30k penalty, the punishment must fit the crime.

No doubt there will be a fee involved

Mike Noble - And is the Pope a Catholic !!!!! And i bet the '' fee '' will be way above what it costs to set up an Excel spreadsheet......... another rip off.

Can we assume this scheme will replace the totally worthless Selective Licensing schemes as essentially it aims to do the same thing? For example Nottingham CC steam rolled in a team of over 70, charging tens of millions in license fees; have not achieved anything discernible apart from penalising a few landlords for the offence of not having a license. The utter waste of such schemes will only be made more so by yet another layer that rogue landlords (yes that mythological creature) would be inclined to ignore as well?