landlords to face greater regulation - govt has a good idea at last!

carolt

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7561396.stm

Rental sector 'needs a shake-up'

Too much property in the private rented sector is in a poor condition, is badly managed and requires better regulation, according to a Law Commission report.

It wants a central regulator to oversee landlord associations and professional bodies in England and Wales.

The proposal is for this to replace the courts or tribunals as the first port of call for disputes between landlords and tenants.

The report says the private rented sector has a "poor reputation".

......

Regulation

The Commission said that few landlords belong to a representative body. It has called for landlord accreditation schemes to be set up in every council area.

It wants landlords to either join one of these schemes, become a member of a private landlords association or rent out premises through an accredited letting agent.

All of these professional bodies would then be overseen by the central regulator, called a housing standards monitor.

It would also like to see a single code of housing management practice for landlords.

Stronger regulation would remove some of the worst accommodation from the market but the report said it was important to keep up the amount of available rented property......

lynzpower

greart report, but lets not get too excited.

its the law commission thats recommending it, doesnt mean this dead-beat government will carry it on. Cant see the tories wanting to run to extra regualtion on the property market either before we all get carried away with the hopes for that to happen.

Its something Ive felt needed to be done for years, but Ive always felt its probably best to be dealt with my local authorities, as an extension of trading standards & consumer rights/ or planning. another quango is NOT what this country needs, there is far too mcuh confusion in state machinery and the masses dont know whos who.
in my world, If your LL or the property is in X local authority, theyll be subject to a similar level of enforcement, as say planning enforcement. ( except more efficient and way shorter amount of time, obviously!)

amcluesent

The balance of power is already weighted far too far towards the 'professional' tenant. It's unacceptable that the LL faces at least 6 months of costs and zero income to evict tenants who are coached on spinning out the legal process, augmented by getting themselves pregnant etc. to leapfrog getting a council house, and who can walk away leaving the property trashed.

olly300

amcluesent wrote: »

The balance of power is already weighted far too far towards the 'professional' tenant. It's unacceptable that the LL faces at least 6 months of costs and zero income to evict tenants who are coached on spinning out the legal process, augmented by getting themselves pregnant etc. to leapfrog getting a council house, and who can walk away leaving the property trashed.

There is actually no way a tenant can force a landlord to carry out their legal obligations and maintain the structure of properties. In one area I use to live in a landlord and their letting agent have been taken to court twice by the local council for renting out properties unfit for human habitation.

lynzpower

olly300 wrote: »

There is actually no way a tenant can force a landlord to carry out their legal obligations and maintain the structure of properties. In one area I use to live in a landlord and their letting agent have been taken to court twice by the local council for renting out properties unfit for human habitation.

wasnt fenham, newcastle upon tyne by any chance was it ?

Cranston_2

I think this has more to do with raising tax from LL's then raising standards for tenants.

martinman3

Cranston wrote: »

I think this has more to do with raising tax from LL's then raising standards for tenants.

Especially from those LLs who currently aren't declaring their rental income to the taxman.

Gorgeous_George

I'm happy to join a professional body if that is what the law requires.

Of course, any costs will need to be recovered. Less tax or higher rents?

GG

SouthCoast

My local authority licences cinemas, gambling, taxis, pet shops, pleasure boats etc.

Why not add landlords?

lostinrates

amcluesent wrote: »

The balance of power is already weighted far too far towards the 'professional' tenant. It's unacceptable that the LL faces at least 6 months of costs and zero income to evict tenants who are coached on spinning out the legal process, augmented by getting themselves pregnant etc. to leapfrog getting a council house, and who can walk away leaving the property trashed.

I think its a poor system alround rather than poorly balanced. I agree that in struggling to evict a non-paying tenant etc the law abiding tax paying landlord is poorly served by the system, but so is the law abiding private sector long term tenant looking for some prolonged security of tenure. All said and done I'd rather be a landlord than a tenant but I'm glad that ATM I am neither!

Generali

amcluesent wrote: »

The balance of power is already weighted far too far towards the 'professional' tenant. It's unacceptable that the LL faces at least 6 months of costs and zero income to evict tenants who are coached on spinning out the legal process, augmented by getting themselves pregnant etc. to leapfrog getting a council house, and who can walk away leaving the property trashed.

I think that the system is skew in favour of bad people. There is no comeback in reality against a LL who promises that a house is going to be fixed up and clean before you move in. There's none against a 'professional tenant'. Both sets of behaviour are unacceptable and have little or no realistic sanction in law.