Forty-Ninth Report - Regulation of private renting

Select Committee
Public Accounts Committee HC 996 13 April 2022
Report Status Government responded
Conclusions & Recommendations 26 items (15 recs)
Source View on Parliament website
Government Response (AI assessment · 26 of 26 classified)
Accepted 11
Acknowledged 7
Not Addressed 3
Rejected 5
Clear

Recommendations

3 results
4 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 … Read more
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 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 … Read more
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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15 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 … Read more
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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12 Conclusion Rejected
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 than one household).26 The Department told us that local authorities …
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.
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14 Conclusion Rejected
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 an application, and the requirement that schemes last only five …
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.
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