More must be done to protect tenants, says an all party group of MPs. 

The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) select committee has today published a report on housing conditions in the Private Rented Sector.

It recommends a strengthening of deterrents against breaches, to speed up compliance with the new Decent Homes Standard ahead of the 2035 deadline.

The report also recommends the roll out of Awaab’s Law in the private rented sector within months to ensure that legal timescales for landlords to resolve hazards are overcome by the end of 2028/29.

The MPs say too much onus remains on individuals to take action against their landlord, either through to courts, or by contacting their local authority.

The report calls for the government to conduct and publish a full assessment of the resources and powers currently available to local authorities to regulate and enforce standards in the private rented sector. 

On the government’s new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES), the report expresses concern that its effectiveness could be undermined if local authorities are not adequately resourced to enforce it.

The report calls for the government to be more ambitious in its plans for the Private Rented Sector Database so it can act as a tool to drive up standards and give tenants comprehensive information on the fitness of landlords, the quality of homes, and enable the reporting of concerns. 

Controversially the MPs say selective licensing remains a useful tool that local authorities can use to proactively target enforcement activity at areas with the poorest housing conditions. 

The report urges the government to make it easier for councils to use these powers by removing barriers that inhibit the uptake and effectiveness of these schemes. 

More targeted enforcement can help protect the most vulnerable tenants, who may struggle to advocate for themselves and exercise their rights. 

The report also calls on the government to complement the Renters Rights Act by bringing forward measures to give greater protection to renters at the lowest end of the market, who are more vulnerable to rent increases and other potential unintended consequences. 

The committee warns that with many renters already struggling to afford their rent, retaliatory rent increases could act as a form of economic eviction. 

However, the committee does not believe that rent controls would be a proportionate step at this stage. 

Instead, the government’s immediate priority must be to ensure the protections that are in place against above-market rent increases through the First Tier Tribunal are functioning effectively. 

The report urges government to unfreeze the Local Housing Allowance and ensure it matches at least the 30th percentile of market rents to protect households on lower incomes. 

It says doing so will help reduce the risk of rent increases leading to households on the lowest incomes being displaced into poorer accommodation or made homeless.

Florence Eshalomi MP, who chairs the Housing, Communities and Local Government committee, says: “More needs to be done to ensure that the new tenants’ rights are enforceable and that landlords play by the rules. 

“Stronger and more proactive regulation and enforcement of standards by local authorities is needed to improve conditions for tenants. 

“The government needs to play its part by ensuring councils have the resources to do this job effectively and that the upcoming Private Rented Sector Database gives tenants the tools they need to check that their home is suitable and safe.

“Far too many private renters are living in homes that are sub-standard. 

“Poor conditions in the rented sector are ultimately a symptom of the nation’s wider housing crisis, especially the lack of social and affordable housing. 

“The government needs to come forward with the long-term housing strategy and set out a credible plan to address the drivers of poor housing conditions”.