The National Landlord Register is coming

When this register comes in I suspect we will end up in the same situation as Welsh landlords who are registered with Rent Smart Wales then also end up with separate HMO licenses for both mandatory and selective licensing areas. It’s ends up as a minefield of licenses , fees and different legislative requirements which eventually increases rents. The smaller landlords will use agents rather than self manage and the larger more corporate landlords will control the market and be far more selective with prospective tenants. With higher standards will come higher prices. Throw rent control into that mix and watch the sector collapse. Personally I will be reducing our exposure as a company to residential letting as the risk reward ratio is decreasing.

Let's hope they deal with the appalling social landlords and Councils as well...I am in agreement that this is yet another nail in the coffin for small landlords like myself. I feel sorry for the young people (and increasingly older) who have to rent...

I see that the White Paper is to be published in the autumn (although they do not say of which year) and that the legislation will follow "in due course". In the meantime no doubt there will be endless speculation about what will be included and exactly what new arrangements will replace S21.

Fine, then can we have a national register of bad tenants who don't pay, damage properties, need to be taken to court, etc? All the landlord register will achieve is landlords simply won't take chances and only rent to the best of prospective tenants, no under 25s, no self employed, want guarantors, worked for the same employer for years, etc the rest just won't get homes

Reply to the comment left by Amzac Estates at 31/03/2022 - 12:02
So in Wales, u have a Register for the Govt there & then also all the independent Council Licenses.

I thought if the UK Govt one came in, we might be rid of the Idiotic Nottingham Council Imbecile Selective Licensing which is making it impossible for Benefit tenants to ever leave & making Landlords like me never able to retire if he has loyalty to the good HB tenants.

I looked up the job description, and in my view, this does not bode well for landlords. It is not a particularly senior role in the Civil Service hierarchy, so likely the post holder will not be at decision-maker level, and I suspect that as ever it will be the politicians and the sound bites that call the shots - the details and the fundamental working of the policies will be fudged.
“Summary
The Leasehold and Private Rented Sector Directorate is leading on an ambitious reform programme at the heart of a thriving housing policy group in DLUHC.

The Private Rented Sector (PRS) Division leads on work to improve the experiences of landlords and tenants in the PRS, aiming to drive improvements to quality, security and fairness. This includes high profile work to protect tenants as part of the Government’s response to the pandemic and transitioning from this into a flagship reform programme, including legislation, to deliver manifesto commitments to reform the sector.

Significant reforms have already been introduced to improve the experience of tenants who rent privately. Part of the PRS team’s work is to ensure those measures bite and quality improves.”

Worryingly:
“The recent Levelling Up White Paper further committed to exploring the introduction of a landlord register. This SEO policy role will lead on two key workstreams as part of this work, working through penalties and enforcement, and leading on data protection elements of a register.”

Whilst they mention landlords and fairness in the same sentence, the focus is clearly on improving things for tenants, through redress and yet more penalties for landlords.
I wonder how they will get their enforcement: via ever diminishing and disillusioned staff at central and local government level? How will they manage with increasing tenant demand and decreasing supply as landlords haemorrhage out of the sector, fed up with all the government tinkering in the sector?

Reply to the comment left by Mick Roberts at 02/04/2022 - 10:37
That’s correct- currently we are registered and have a landlord licence for the company plus I have to register personally and a separate licence for myself. Then we have mandatory HMO licenses for 5 or more tenant properties plus selective licences for HMOs of 3 person properties plus selective licensing for certain areas of ‘concern’
Welcome to the lunacy of Wales, interestingly since our national body Rent Smart Wales came into existence in 2016 there a fewer landlords and rents have increased by over 25% and quite a few have increased more than that. As standards are higher then so are costs - who pays - the tenants of course!

Reply to the comment left by Freda Blogs at 02/04/2022 - 13:46
Yes,

Govt & Councils & should be coming to us & saying:

Mick, what can we do for u that is going to make u not sell all your houses and what can we do to entice more landlords in as we in the crap here, our hostels are full too and not emptying.
We're sorry we wanted all your 50 year old houses to have New build standards, we din't realise that would result in impossible rents for benefit tenants.

Reply to the comment left by Amzac Estates at 02/04/2022 - 14:28
From what u saying, more Landlords packing up then driving rents up further & increasing homeless.
Yes they want New Build Standards, we all know they cost more to buy & rent.

Hi Mick
I am Alan Thomas, a landlord with rented properties within the Birmingham area.
Birmingham intend to introduce the Nottingham licensing system so I would like to contact you please.
skicopter@gmail.com 07879417907