Private rented property 'needs standards watchdog'
Private rented property 'needs standards watchdog'
Thursday, 14, Aug 2008 12:00
A new standards watchdog has to monitor the condition of private rented property because so much of it is in "poor condition and is poorly managed", according to the Law Commission.
The Commission also found the law does not operate as it is intended to, causing the market to slip further into a state of disrepair.
It also calls for:
Establishing an associated stakeholder board to which representatives of all sides of the private residential rented property sector are appointed.
Developing a single code of housing management practice for landlords.
Making landlord accreditation schemes available in every local authority area, and launching a pilot programme for home condition certificates.
Implementation of these proposals is all the more urgent in the present climate, argues the Commission, as demand for rented property is increasing as potential homebuyers refrain from the market as prices fall.
"The recommendations in our report are aimed at benefiting both landlords and tenants by enabling them to use existing legal processes more productively thereby more fully realising the intended impact of housing legislation," explained Professor Martin Partington, the commission’s special consultant on housing law.
"Implementation of these reforms would not only improve rental conditions for tenants, but also help to build the reputation and professionalism of landlords.
"More broadly, it would encourage institutional investment in the provision of rental accommodation, enhancing the important role of this sector in the wider economy."
The Law Commission is a non-political independent body, set up by parliament in 1965 to keep all the law of England and Wales under review, and to recommend reform where it is needed.