By NRLA CEO Ben Beadle has once more met with Housing Secretary Michael Gove to discuss the supply issues plaguing the Private Rented Sector. Here, he explains more in his regular column for Property Notify®.
It is now four years since the Government first mooted the Renters’ Reform Bill.
Since then the NRLA has worked tirelessly on behalf of members and the sector to come up with positive workable solutions that will encourage landlords to remain and encourage investment, while still allowing the Government to meet it commitment to renters.
Landlords are, rightly, concerned about what the Bill will include. While we don’t know exactly what it will hold, the Government has committed to abolishing Section 21, the so-called ‘no fault eviction’, while pledging they will continue to protect landlords’ rights to repossess where they have a valid reason for doing so.
Just days ago I met with Housing Secretary Michael Gove for the second time within a few weeks to talk rental reform and share landlords’ views on what needs to happen if legislation is to be workable.
Mr Gove, for his part shared his views on the future of the PRS and I was pleased to hear that this included a positive role for responsible landlords.
I was joined at the roundtable, held at the Home Office, by ten organisations from across the property industry which included The Local Government Association, Shelter, Generation Rent, LARG (Large Agent Representation Group, The Letting Industry Council, Citizen’s Advice, British Property Federation, The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and the Renters’ Reform Coalition.
Myself and other landlord and agent representatives, including NRLA legal counsel David Smith, made clear the challenges landlords are facing and the potentially devastating impact this could have on the provision of much-needed homes to rent.
The latest figures from the NRLA’s own confidence index show that 37% of landlords are considering selling homes in the next 12months with just 13% planning to buy new ones, which could lead to a dramatic reduction in the number of homes to rent.
This in turn could push up rents at a time when the cost-of-living crisis is biting across the board.
Campaigning
The roundtable followed an earlier one-to-one meeting between Michael Gove and I just last month, where we covered everything from reform to standards and investment.
The NRLA’s tireless campaigning has already seen significant success, with the announcement that the Government is to take a hard line on anti-social behaviour and increase the powers available to landlords to tackle the issue.
Ahead of the Renters’ Reform Bill, which I expect to be published in the coming months, we will continue to lobby on behalf of members for positive reform that supports the rights of both landlords and tenants to maintain a robust private sector that works for all.
What is the NRLA calling for?
The NRLA has welcomed the Government commitment to ensure landlords are able to regain possession of their properties in legitimate circumstances and we have a number of other key asks which we believe will help support landlords and encourage them to continue to invest in the sector.
We want the Government to:
- End the anti-landlord rhetoric and back the majority of landlords providing good quality home to rent
- Address issues that will arise in the student market as a result of plans to introduce indefinite tenancies
- Come up with firm principles as to how councils and police can support landlords to tackle anti-social tenants quickly and effectively – something there has already been movement on
- Reform the courts BEFORE Section 21 powers are removed to tackle lengthy waits for possession
- Abolish local licensing once the new property portal is introduced.
Unless these issues are resolved now – while proposed legislation is still under development – they will lead to major problems in the future.
The Government has already published a Rental Reform White Paper, a set of proposals put forward for consultation, but not set in stone.
Since this was published we have produced its own alternative white paper A New Deal for the Private Rented Sector.
In addition to this I gave evidence to Government Select Committees and attended other specialist roundtables on the proposals for reform, with the influential Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee throwing its weight behind the NRLA’s plans on everything from court reform, a review of landlord tax and student tenancies.
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