All parts of the UK to have Mandatory Landlord Licensing

Below is an article I was emailed by Netrent, updating the latest news on the new Mandatory Licensing of landlords and properties. Yet more red tape to provide accommodation to people who want it and are willing to pay what they think is a fair price in terms of market rent.  Once again, the bad/rogue landlords will just ignore it and good landlords 'taxed' even more.

Bobby

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"On 24 March the Northern Ireland Executive announced it's intention to implement mandatory landlord licencing. Scotland already has a mandatory licencing scheme and on 3rd February the Government announced it's intentions to bring in mandatory licencing for England and Wales. This means that the whole of the UK will adopt mandatory licencing of landlords in the future.

The response of the Conservative Party, if elected, is to have another review of the Private Rented Sector "to examine how the sector can play an enhanced role in the housing market".

The Private Rented Sector accounts for 13% of the total housing market in the UK, over 2.5 millions homes are privately rented. In the past couple of years we have seen the collapse of Buy-to-Let lending, yet more regulation and the promise of more to come. Most landlords we have spoken to see mandatory licencing as just another stealth tax and they are deeply concerned that the Private Rented Sector is not sufficiently valued by our politicians.

We share those concerns.

There has been a succession of reviews over recent years, surely by now a sensible consensus should have been reached? Whilst the Government and Opposition have made it clear that they want to support British business neither seems to truly value the Private Rented Sector. The Banks that we have bailed out still refuse to offer decent Buy-to-Let mortgages and many have pulled out of the market completely.

The Government wants to start a website to allow tenants to make statements and comments about their landlords. There are no plans for a similar website for landlords to share their experiences about tenants.

The vast majority of landlords try to offer decent, affordable housing. Standards have risen considerably over recent years. The next Government must work with and not against landlords. Regulation must be simplified and applied to all equally. Banks should be made to lend on reasonable terms. Most of all we must learn to value the Private Rented Sector and the one million plus landlords in the UK."

Source: www.netrent.co.uk

Click here to view the Government's consulatation on the Private Rented Sector

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