Landlords and agents warned to be wary of council ‘Safer Renting’ schemes

Landlords are warned they should be wary of council ‘Safer Renting’ schemes as information collected could be used against them.

Phil Turtle of legal advisers Landlord Licensing & Defence (main picture) says there may be “a hidden agenda”.

Growing numbers of councils are promoting the schemes that encourage landlords to join in an effort to improve tenant protection.

Tenants are encouraged to only rent properties owned by landlords signed up to ‘Safer Renting’.

The concern lies in the potential for these schemes to act as a trap for unsuspecting landlords.”

Turtle says: “The concern lies in the potential for these schemes to act as a trap for unsuspecting landlords.

“By participating, landlords could be inadvertently providing information that could be used against them in the future.”

Admission of guilt

Landlords are asked to declare themselves compliant with different regulations, which could be an admission of guilt if the council later discovers a violation, he says.

Also, councils may not have complete information on a landlord’s properties, and by joining the scheme, they may unwittingly fill in these gaps.

“The way the collected information will be used and stored is often unclear,” says Turtle.

And landlords may be unaware of how this information could affect them in the future, he adds.

Crucial

“It’s crucial they [landlords] understand their rights and obligations, and approach these ‘Safer Renting’ schemes with caution.”

Landlord Licensing & Defence says that before joining any Safer Renting scheme, landlords should carefully review its requirements and how the information will be used.