MPs warn renting reforms will fail ‘without proper enforcement’
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Private Rented Sector says steps need to be taken to address the actions of rogue and criminal landlords.
The Government’s renting reforms will fail without sufficient resources to ensure they can be enforced, MPs on the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Private Rented Sector have warned.
Measures set out in the Renters (Reform) Bill include the development of a new decent homes standard for the private rented sector, a new Property Portal for rental housing and the end of Section 21.
ROGUE AND CRIMINAL LANDLORDS
But publishing views from across the sector earlier this week (main picture) the APPG revealed one common theme among all those who contributed was the need to take steps to address the actions of rogue and criminal landlords.
Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Shelter, spoke of the need to ‘help local authorities to crack down on criminal behaviour’. And Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, warned that ‘the Government must prioritise enforcement of regulations to stamp out illegal activity’. The Centre for Social Justice also called for investment in enforcement capacity.
However, the cross-party group of MPs and peers is concerned that local authorities will struggle to enforce planned changes without a significant boost to their resources with almost one in five local authorities expected to serve a Section 114 notice – meaning they cannot make new spending commitments – in the next year.
SECTION 21
And the APPG has also expressed concerns that renters and responsible landlords will likely struggle to defend their rights in the courts when Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions are scrapped.
Andrew Lewer MBE, Conservative MP for Northampton South and Chair of the APPG for the Private Rented Sector, says: “It is vital that the Bill provides security to tenants, gives confidence to responsible landlords and roots out rogue and criminal landlords providing sub-standard housing.
“However, none of this will be possible without robust enforcement of the powers being proposed.
And he adds: “Tenants and landlords need to be confident that they will be able to enforce their rights in court in a timely and effective way when section 21 ends.
“It is simply unacceptable that ministers have provided scant detail about what improvements to the justice system will look like and when they will happen.”
Main picture: The launch event in Parliament this week at which the Minister for the Private Rented Sector, Jacob Young MP spoke.
