Forty-Ninth Report - Regulation of private renting
Select Committee
Public Accounts Committee
HC 996
13 April 2022
Government response
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Forty Ninth report from Session 2021-22 · published 2 Sep 2022
Recommendations & Conclusions
5 results
4
Recommendation
Rejected
Local Authorities are constrained by the Department’s approach to licensing landlords.
Recommendation
Local Authorities are constrained by the Department’s approach to licensing landlords. In 2010, the Department introduced legislation allowing local authorities to require licences from landlords for more properties that the minimum requirements (the only properties that need licenses are larger …
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Government Response Summary
The government considers current arrangements for licensing schemes strike the right balance, allowing local authorities to use selective licensing effectively without placing undue burdens on landlords where additional licensing schemes are not needed.
HM Treasury
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12
Conclusion
Rejected
In 2010, the Department introduced legislation allowing local authorities to require licences from landlords for...
Conclusion
In 2010, the Department introduced legislation allowing local authorities to require licences from landlords for more properties than the minimum requirements (the only properties that need licenses are larger houses in multiple occupation—those with at least five people from more …
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Government Response Summary
The government considers current arrangements for licensing schemes strike the right balance, allowing local authorities to use selective licensing effectively without placing undue burdens on landlords where additional licensing schemes are not needed.
HM Treasury
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13
Recommendation
Rejected
In 2015, the Department added a requirement that selective licensing schemes covering over 20% of...
Recommendation
In 2015, the Department added a requirement that selective licensing schemes covering over 20% of a council’s local area or rented housing stock must be approved by the Secretary of State. It told us it introduced this requirement to ensure …
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Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the recommendation to assess the current arrangements for licensing schemes, stating that the current balance allows effective use of selective licensing without undue burdens on landlords. However, they will work with local authorities and the Local Government Association to develop a selective licensing best practice sharing support for LAs and simplified the selective licensing application form.
HM Treasury
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14
Conclusion
Rejected
To apply for approval for a selective licensing scheme, local authorities need a good understanding...
Conclusion
To apply for approval for a selective licensing scheme, local authorities need a good understanding of their local private rental market, which is hard to gather without already having a scheme in place.30 The time and resource needed to produce …
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Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the recommendation to assess current arrangements for licensing schemes, stating that the current system strikes the right balance.
HM Treasury
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15
Recommendation
Rejected
Long wait times, made worse during the COVID-19 pandemic, are also a barrier to local...
Recommendation
Long wait times, made worse during the COVID-19 pandemic, are also a barrier to local regulation.33 For example, Liverpool City Council had a city-wide scheme from 2015 to 2020 that was popular locally, which lapsed while the Department was considering …
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Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the recommendation to assess current arrangements for licensing schemes, stating that the current system strikes the right balance.
HM Treasury
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