private rented homes
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Latest property news
MPs lead inquiry into rogue landlords and selective licensing
An inquiry is to be held in parliament into how well local authorities are policing rogue landlords and how effective the much-criticised selective licensing schemes have been in curtailing bad practices. Announced by the Communities and Local Government select committee, the inquiry will examine several key issues within the private rented sector including whether councils should do more to provide affordable private rented accommodation, whether they have enough powers to deal with rogue landlords and what’s preventing proper policing of the privately rented homes sector. The Committee will also look at how effective the complaints system is for tenants. The inquiry’s terms of reference are very similar to a key report by the Adam Smith Institute published three years ago, which found that 52% of councils activity promoted the private rented sector through their local plans, but only 2% said it was their top housing priority. Bad landlords “With a big rise in the number of people renting over the last decade, there are real concerns about the ability of local authorities to protect tenants by tackling bad landlords and practices,” says the committee’s Chair Clive Betts MP. “Our inquiry will examine how local authorities can carry out enforcement work…
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Agencies & People
Tenant bargaining power grows
New figures from the National Landlords Association (NLA) show that tenants are securing a larger proportion of private rented homes in the UK at below, rather than above, advertised rents. The data shows that 16 per cent of private rented homes are let to tenants at below advertised rents, with eight per cent of homes being let to tenants at above the asking price. Three quarters (76 per cent) of private rented homes are let to tenants at the advertised rent. The difference means that tenants in the UK are benefitting from a net proportion of 8 per cent – or an estimated 320,000 – homes let at below advertised rents. The NLA’s analysis found that more than a quarter of new tenancies in central London (27 per cent) are agreed at lower than advertised rents, with the North East and outer London close behind (both 22 per cent). However, just nine per cent of properties in the East Midlands are let to tenants below the asking price. Yorkshire and the Humber and the South West are close behind on 11 per cent. At the other end of the scale, more tenancies in outer London are agreed above the advertised…
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