x
By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies to enhance your experience.
Written by rosalind renshaw

Landlords have bombarded a housing minister with their objections to a mandatory landlords’ register.

At the National Landlords Association conference, Ian Austin – the minister with responsibility for the private rented sector – was forced on to the defensive.

He said: “I’m not going to duck the issue. It’s in your interests as much as mine that those who bring down your sector are dealt with. But I can’t flick a switch in Whitehall and expect the whole system to change overnight. It’s important we get the legislation right rather than rushing it through.”

But David Salusbury, NLA chairman, told him: “I do ask that you take away the very clear message that reputable landlords are giving today – we simply don’t agree with further regulation. If you think ‘regulation’, think again.”

Salusbury went on to say, after the conference: “It is quite clear that even the Government does not know how a landlord register will find those rogue landlords who work so hard at keeping themselves under the radar.

“It is this small minority which brings the whole private-rented sector into disrepute and the NLA is determined to ensure that Government measures focus on this and not on over-burdening the law-abiding majority.”

The idea for setting up a compulsory register of landlords sits alongside the proposal to license all letting and managing agents. The Government has been consulting on both, as part of its response to the Rugg Review.

Comments

  • icon

    About time, too many landlords treat renting as a hobby or don't give a damn. They should be heavily regulated, more than letting agents who in general treat it as a business, which is exactly what it is.

    • 26 November 2009 09:24 AM
MovePal MovePal MovePal