There are new proposals for landlords to join a national register in order to regulate the rental property market.
The government has stated that most landlords have good intentions, but there are a minority that exploit vulnerable people, and allow anti-social behaviour in neighbourhoods. These claims were made by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
A national register of landlords would help authorities to identify these kind of landlords and would help to make the industry more professional. It is also hoped that these measures will also help to protect tenants from suddenly finding themselves without anywhere to live.
In order to sign up to the resister landlords would pay an annual fee, covering administration costs. In return they would be provided with a ‘starter pack’, standard forms, and will receive updates of any changes in regulations.
Groups in the industry were in favour of these proposals.
The director general of the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) stated that everyone understands the tough position that tenants are faced in when landlords can no longer afford their mortgage. Most tenants are protected, but in a small number of cases their landlords should never have been renting the property to begin with.
The director of external affairs of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) also added that this would help to ensure landlords were properly protecting deposits and keeping up with repairs.
However, there are still some concerns that some landlords will be missed.