Six key calls for parties standing in the 2021 Welsh Parliament elections

Six key calls for parties standing in the 2021 Welsh Parliament elections

0:01 AM, 10th December 2020, About 4 years ago 12

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the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) Wales have released their manifesto for the forthcoming election, explaining that only when the private rented sector (PRS) is regarded as part of the solution to the housing crisis can landlords and tenants prosper.

The representative body has six key calls for parties standing in the 2021 Welsh Parliament elections: streamline licensing; support landlords and tenants; improve homes; introduce a Welsh Housing Survey; improve justice for landlords and tenants; and, rejecting rent controls and Right-to-Rent.

To achieve these objectives, the NRLA is advocating measures such as eliminating the need for local licensing by adopting requirements in national frameworks, introducing a housing court, and removing the second property Land Transaction Tax premium to encourage empty home purchases.

The NRLA argues that some of the proposals such as deposit passporting (which allows tenants to move deposits to new properties without needing to raise a second) and a Welsh Housing Survey are needed to prevent Wales falling behind new reforms and long-standing provisions in England.

Other areas the manifesto focuses on are grants and loans to improve energy efficiency and end fuel poverty for private tenants, using council tax more holistically to tackle empty homes, and ensuring the UK Government’s Right-to-Rent scheme is not applied in the devolved nations.

Commenting, Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the NRLA, said:  “We’re very pleased to launch our Welsh manifesto ahead of next Spring’s Senedd election. This provides an opportunity for all parties to build a private rented sector fair to both landlords and tenants.

“Our proposals will improve the rights of tenants and landlords demonstrating it is perfectly possible to do both, rather than sacrificing one for the other. This principle is evident in our calls for a housing court, a Welsh Housing Survey, rejecting Right-to-Rent, and stronger measures against anti-social behaviour.

“Our flagship priority is to streamline licensing in Wales, ending inefficient and expensive local schemes by incorporating standards into new, national frameworks.

“After four pieces of legislation in six years, the PRS can really use a break from large-scale change and use some assistance in meeting shared goals to the benefit of both landlord and tenant. Our manifesto achieves that.”


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Beaver

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9:11 AM, 10th December 2020, About 4 years ago

Remind me how 'deposit passporting' would work: How would the tenant have the deposit for the new property before vacating the existing property? And how would the landlord know that his or her property was OK? In my experience it is a mistake to let the deposit go until at least a couple of days after the tenant has moved out because tenants hide the damage they've done.

Ian Narbeth

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11:15 AM, 10th December 2020, About 4 years ago

Completely agree Beaver. I wrote about passporting last year.

Beaver

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11:56 AM, 10th December 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Ian Narbeth at 10/12/2020 - 11:15
It still makes no sense to me. If the tenants can just passport "their" deposit then their existing landlord is not protected and the new landlord isn't either. Unless I've missed something.

In any case, it's not "their" deposit: It's a deposit and in effect it is in trust; it *may* be due back to the tenant, but all or part of it may be due to the landlord if they don't pay the rent or abuse the tenancy agreement. If it's "passported" it's no longer a deposit. It's money controlled by the "passporting" organisation.

Maybe the NRLA know something about this that I don't. Perhaps somebody knows the detail.

Ian Narbeth

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12:06 PM, 10th December 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Beaver at 10/12/2020 - 11:56
I set out the arguments in the article I linked to. I made similar points in the consultation and even corresponded with Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government about the matter. They didn't have raise an argument against my points.

I wrote:
Landlords who are not fools will soon realise that if "passporting" before the end of a tenancy comes in then either the current landlord will lose the benefit of the deposit or he will not. If he does not lose it, the new landlord will know that possibly none of the old deposit will be available for him. If the current landlord loses the benefit, the new landlord will realise that he too will be subjected to the same heist of the deposit at the end of the tenancy to "passport" it to the next landlord. Deposits will become less valuable or nearly useless as security. Passporting will permanently contaminate the system. Even if a financially sound tenant does not “passport in” his or her deposit the landlord will know that on departure the tenant might “passport it out”. Many landlords take “one month’s” rent as deposit. If some of the deposit will be lost landlords are more likely to ask for the maximum 5 weeks’ rent as deposit, partially defeating the whole object of this exercise.

Beaver

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12:10 PM, 10th December 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Ian Narbeth at 10/12/2020 - 12:06
I think you were right; although I think you'd be nuts now not to ask for 5 weeks rent given that you are no longer allowed to charge tenants for anything and they can easily do damage worth more than 5 weeks' rent.

So the next question is, why is the NRLA arguing that a passport scheme is needed? Does the NRLA have a deposit-holding scheme?

Seething Landlord

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12:14 PM, 10th December 2020, About 4 years ago

The consultation on this ended in September 2019 and the government website says that they are analysing the responses. The results have yet to be revealed and I suspect that we will have to wait until the Renters Reform Bill is published and then fight a long battle which we will eventually lose. It is a bit concerning that NRLA seem to have already surrendered.

Ian Narbeth

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12:20 PM, 10th December 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Seething Landlord at 10/12/2020 - 12:14Worse than that they seem to have been seduced by Government spin. They don't seem to realise how misconceived the very concept of deposit passporting is.

Beaver

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12:23 PM, 10th December 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Seething Landlord at 10/12/2020 - 12:14
Did they surrender? Does the NRLA have its own deposit scheme? (I genuinely do not know).

Saul Smart

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18:46 PM, 10th December 2020, About 4 years ago

Isn't 'my deposits' -previously 'TDSL'- all part of the NRLA set up?

Chris @ Possession Friend

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20:35 PM, 10th December 2020, About 4 years ago

Local and Central Government need to wake up to the fact that its TENANTS that cause Anti-Social Behaviour, not Landlords !
Pocketing Licensing fees that in turn come from Rent increases does not affect ASB.

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