On February 8th 2018, Heather Wheeler, the Minister for Housing and Homelessness at DCLG, met with senior figures from the main organisations representing landlords and agents in the Private Rented Sector (PRS). They discussed future legislative changes and what the Government should be prioritising.
Present at the meeting were representatives from:
• The National Landlords’ Association (NLA)
• The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA Propertymark)
• The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
• The National Approved Letting Scheme (NALS), and
• The Residential Landlords Association (RLA)
The Government first laid out its new plans to tackle the UK’s housing crisis in last February’s Housing White Paper. Given that the PRS currently houses more than 20% of UK households and overtook the social rented sector some years ago, this meeting was a welcome and long-overdue acknowledgement of the role it plays.Many landlords feel that regulation over recent years has been ‘against’ them, benefiting tenants but resulting in increased costs and hassle for decent landlords, with no real upside from their perspective. At the same time, the tax burden has been increasing for most, so it is important for the Government to now encourage landlords to help them meet the rising demand for good rented accommodation.
It was clear that both the industry and Government are keen to see a fair regulatory regime. That means continuing to raise standards and make it increasingly difficult for those breaking the law to operate, while supporting good landlords and agents in the running of their business.
