Regulation of private renting

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 8 Dec 2021 Closed: 2 Sep 2022 Parliament page
The number of people living in private rented accommodation has doubled in the last 20 years, and there are now an estimated 4.4 million privately rented households in England, with rents outside London increasing at the fastest rate on record in 2021. While most tenants have a good experience of … Read more
15 Recommendations
11 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
3 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 7 events
8 Sep
2022
Correspondence
2 Sep
2022
Report published
13 Apr
2022
Report published
22 Feb
2022
Correspondence
22 Feb
2022
Correspondence
31 Jan
2022
Oral evidence
31 Jan
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
31 Jan 2022
View on parliament.uk
Regulation of private renting
Anny Cullum · Acorn the Union Ben Beadle · National Residential Landlords' Association Ben Beadle · National Residential Landlords Association Caroline Crowther · The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Jeremy Pocklington CB · Ministry of Defence Ms Ruth Ehrlich · Shelter Tamara Sandoul · The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Tracey Waltho · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Forty-Ninth Report - Regulation of private renting HC 996 13 Apr 2022 26 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
11 results
Clear
3 Recommendation Accepted
Forty-Ninth Report - Regulation of…
The Department is not doing enough to support local authorities to regulate effectively.
The Department is not doing enough to support local authorities to regulate effectively. The dozens of legislative powers used by local authorities are complex and spread across multiple enforcement bodies, creating a fragmented and disempowered regulatory system. Local authorities say … Read more
Government Response
The government will run pilot schemes, strengthen LAs' ability to tackle criminal landlords, explore bolstering national oversight of LAs' enforcement, seek to introduce a national framework for setting fines, and continue to fund the National Trading Standards Estates and Lettings Agency Team.
HM Treasury
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6 Recommendation Accepted
Forty-Ninth Report - Regulation of…
The Department’s forthcoming White Paper offers an opportunity for significant improvement to the private rented...
The Department’s forthcoming White Paper offers an opportunity for significant improvement to the private rented sector. In the past ten years, the Department has made several positive legislative changes in the private rented sector, such as providing tenants with protection … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees to fully understand the cumulative impact of proposed changes on tenants, landlords, and the housing market, working with other departments and completing an impact assessment by Spring 2023, as well as developing its approach to data collection to monitor the impact of reforms.
HM Treasury
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8 Recommendation Accepted
Forty-Ninth Report - Regulation of…
The Department has introduced various pieces of legislation which give local authorities a range of...
The Department has introduced various pieces of legislation which give local authorities a range of tools and powers to enforce compliance in the private rented sector, such as civil penalties and banning orders.19 However, over time this has resulted in … Read more
Government Response
The government will run pilot schemes trialling improvements to enforcement of existing standards, strengthen LAs’ ability to tackle criminal landlords, bolster national oversight of LAs’ enforcement by requiring them to report on their enforcement activity, and explore seeking to introduce a national framework for setting fines.
HM Treasury
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9 Recommendation Accepted
Forty-Ninth Report - Regulation of…
The Department therefore has an important role to play in using its national perspective to...
The Department therefore has an important role to play in using its national perspective to identify and disseminate good practice among local authorities and help them regulate effectively.22 While it has provided some grant funding for project work (£6.7 million … Read more
Government Response
The government will run pilot schemes, strengthen LAs' ability to tackle criminal landlords, explore bolstering national oversight of LAs' enforcement, seek to introduce a national framework for setting fines, and continue to fund the National Trading Standards Estates and Lettings Agency Team.
HM Treasury
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10 Recommendation Accepted
Forty-Ninth Report - Regulation of…
The Department does not have a good enough understanding of what regulatory approaches work at...
The Department does not have a good enough understanding of what regulatory approaches work at local level to help local authorities ensure that landlords comply with their obligations. It has limited data on what tools and approaches are even used … Read more
Government Response
The government will run pilot schemes, strengthen LAs' ability to tackle criminal landlords, explore bolstering national oversight of LAs' enforcement, seek to introduce a national framework for setting fines, and continue to fund the National Trading Standards Estates and Lettings Agency Team.
HM Treasury
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11 Recommendation Accepted
Forty-Ninth Report - Regulation of…
The Department also does not know in detail what challenges local authorities are facing, and...
The Department also does not know in detail what challenges local authorities are facing, and lacks an early warning system to identify where local regulation is failing private renters. It does not collect data, for example, on the number of … Read more
Government Response
The government will run pilot schemes, strengthen LAs' ability to tackle criminal landlords, explore bolstering national oversight of LAs' enforcement, seek to introduce a national framework for setting fines, and continue to fund the National Trading Standards Estates and Lettings Agency Team.
HM Treasury
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16 Recommendation Accepted
Forty-Ninth Report - Regulation of…
Tenants have a legal right to a safe and secure home that is free from...
Tenants have a legal right to a safe and secure home that is free from serious health hazards. However, they face significant barriers to realising this right, and many experience significant issues which can result, for example, in serious illness, … Read more
Government Response
The government will introduce a property portal requiring all private landlords to join, giving private tenants a free redress service, and will learn from a recent mediation pilot to improve alternative dispute resolution.
HM Treasury
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17 Recommendation Accepted
Forty-Ninth Report - Regulation of…
The current system for renters to resolve problems relies on them being aware of, and...
The current system for renters to resolve problems relies on them being aware of, and enforcing, their own rights. However, tenants often do not know how to complain or do not have the confidence to do so. Charities such as … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees to improve renters’ ability to exercise their rights by bringing forward a landmark Renters Reform Bill, introducing a new property portal that all landlords will be required to join, and learn from the recent mediation pilot.
HM Treasury
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18 Recommendation Accepted
Forty-Ninth Report - Regulation of…
The complaints and redress mechanisms available to renters are also limited and complex.
The complaints and redress mechanisms available to renters are also limited and complex. While there are mandatory redress schemes for social housing and for letting agency work, these are voluntary for private landlords and so most tenants must use the … Read more
Government Response
The government will introduce a property portal requiring all private landlords to join, giving private tenants a free redress service, and will learn from a recent mediation pilot to improve alternative dispute resolution.
HM Treasury
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19 Conclusion Accepted
Forty-Ninth Report - Regulation of…
The Department told us that as part of its reform agenda, it plans to end...
The Department told us that as part of its reform agenda, it plans to end Section 21 work and introduce a mandatory redress scheme for landlords, with which it intends to empower tenants and improve landlord compliance.42 However, the Department … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees to improve renters’ ability to exercise their rights by bringing forward a landmark Renters Reform Bill, introducing a new property portal that all landlords will be required to join, and learn from the recent mediation pilot.
HM Treasury
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23 Recommendation Accepted
Forty-Ninth Report - Regulation of…
Many issues facing both landlords and tenants relate to other policy areas, such as housing...
Many issues facing both landlords and tenants relate to other policy areas, such as housing benefits, tax laws and courts systems. There is therefore a need for cross-government working and data-sharing to understand the wider impacts of planned legislative changes … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees to fully understand the cumulative impact of proposed changes on tenants, landlords, and the housing market, working with other departments and completing an impact assessment by Spring 2023, as well as developing its approach to data collection to monitor the impact of reforms.
HM Treasury
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Government Response AI assessment · 26 of 15 classified
Accepted 11
Acknowledged 7
Not Addressed 3
Rejected 5
Total 15 recs + 11 conclusions
Correspondence 3 letters
8 Sep 2022 Correspondence from Jeremy Pocklington CB, Permanent Secretary, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to Dame Meg Hillier, Chair, Committee on Public Accounts, re Regulation of private renting, dated 13 July 2022
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22 Feb 2022 Correspondence from Jeremy Pocklington CB, Permanent Secretary, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, re Further information following the oral evidence session: Regulation of private renting, Public Accounts Committee, dated 10 February 2022
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22 Feb 2022 Correspondence from Caroline Crowther Director, Private Rented Sector & Leasehold, re Further information following the oral evidence session: Regulation of private renting, Public Accounts Committee, dated 11 February 2022
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