The Local Government Association is supportive of proposals to widen access to the national rogue landlord database to tenants and prospective tenants. We are also supportive of expanding the scope of offences leading to entries on the database.
Key Messages
- The Local Government Association is supportive of proposals to widen access to the national rogue landlord database to tenants and prospective tenants. We are also supportive of expanding the scope of offences leading to entries on the database.
- The private rented sector has doubled in the last 20 years. Whilst the majority of private tenants are satisfied with the quality of their accommodation, there are still demonstrable issues with quality and safety in the private rented sector.
- There is a strong public interest case for supporting tenants to make informed decisions about which landlords they choose to rent from, and for supporting enforcement agencies with their efforts to identify the worst landlords and work across local authority borders.
- The LGA recommends that the existing Greater London Authority rogue landlord checker is used as a model for the expansion of the national register. Its high take-up suggests that it is genuinely useful for enforcement agencies – a result of the broad set of infractions which allow for inclusion on the register.
- Expansion of the landlord register must be accompanied by a package of measures for improving quality of the private rented sector. In particular, the LGA urges the Government to remove the 20 per cent threshold needed for councils to secure Secretary of State approval for local licensing schemes.