The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health is warning about what it calls “the large enforcement burden” falling on council officers from the Renters Rights Bill.

Written evidence, submitted to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee scrutinising the legislation, includes the demand that the fees paid by landlords to join the mandatory private rented sector database and ombudsman schemes should be used to fund more council officers to enforce the same schemes.

CIEH also suggests that the Bill should be seek to “remove unnecessary barriers to the use of licensing schemes to improve housing standards.” 

This would include enabling local authorities operating selective licensing schemes to use licence conditions to improve housing conditions.

CIEH says there is a “peculiar disconnect” in the Housing Act 2004 licensing legislation whereby local authorities can introduce selective licensing schemes to address poor housing conditions but cannot include a directly enforceable requirement relating to housing condition as a condition of the licence itself.

The proposed private rented sector database is welcomed by CIEH as a tool to support the use of tailored enforcement approaches by local authorities.

The organisation also welcomes, in principle, the proposed application of a Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector but believes that the various housing standards need to be consolidated to provide clarity for landlords, tenants and local authorities.