Will the UK’s largest Landlord Associations Merge later this year?

Alan Ward from the RLA and Adrian Jeakings from the NLA issued a joint statement.

“After more than 20 years of friendly competition the time is right to create a single organisation to represent and campaign for landlords.

“With so much of our work done in parallel there are major benefits to be gained for our landlord members.

“We will be stronger together when presenting a unified voice to government both nationally and locally about the importance of supporting the majority of landlords who do a good job providing the homes to rent the country needs.”

The NLA supports Selective licensing at a huge cost to landlords and lost many members in my area. The RLA was firmly against it. In my view the NLA does not support landlords and I see this amalgamation as not helpful to rla members.
I have already voted against this today.

Paul, like yourself I’m a little sceptical, but as I always thought such a move (LL assocs joining forces to gain a louder collective voice) could be a v sensible idea, so….. for the time being…. I fully support it.

Reply to the comment left by Paul Cunningham at 29/08/2019 - 20:21
That’s not correct, Paul. Worse than just simply supporting the idea, the RLA co-regulate Liverpool’s Selective Licensing scheme, which has some very serious flaws…!

Reply to the comment left by Luke P at 30/08/2019 - 07:29
Paul is in Great Yarmouth, and I can assure you that he is correct and so are you in regards to Liverpool.

The new organization will need to decide very quickly whose side they are on.

Unfortunately both organisations have supported or co regulated selective licensing in different areas.
The RLA at one point published Shelter poetry. Yes can you believe that ?.
I concur with Mark. It is a good thing that Landlords unite and on behalf of the Landlords alliance ,I wish the new body well.
Having said that the Alliance was born because of deep dis satisfaction with the status quo. We have, in less than 12 months attracted huge numbers of dis affected landlords, represented landlords and prevented prosecutions under the HA, exposed Shelter and will continue to work to get this abhorrent landlord hating outfit dis banded. We have also exposed huge flaws in several licensing schemes and urged landlords not to rent to dss tenants until all talk of scrapping s21 is binned.
If this new merged body would sign up to our approach and show some teeth then landlords nationwide and indeed the entire PRS would benefit.
So while we wish the Nrla all the best we would also remind them that for the last 12 months we the Alliance have been in the trenches fighting the landlords corner. Lets see this new body showing some cojones. No more engaging with the likes of Shelter ,who house nobody. Landlords save the deposit, get the mortgage, pay the Stamp duty, have no tax relief, pay the empty Ct, buy the selective licence and maintain the property while under the constant threat of a criminal prosecution for some minor transgression. Yet some seem to think that not only is this ok but that Shelter and councils should also dictate to us what tenants we should accept. We say no. No to this perverted regime, no to selective licensing and no to dss. Will the new Nrla stand with us on these points.
Join the Alliance now and ensure the PRS is safe.

I am glad they are potentially merging or in union speak "amalgamating" but if they don't get those cojones you mentioned nothing will change and yes, let's all not take benefit tenants - why should we have all the risk and none of the rewards! They are having a larf!

Reply to the comment left by Mark Alexander at 30/08/2019 - 07:48
I did not see the 'in my area' part on first read. I wonder why they were firmly against it in one area and then co-regulating in another??

Now they can be doubly ineffective

This is excellent news. The amalgamated association will be a big and vocal voice for landlords. It will, however, have around 80,000 members, out of a landlord cohort of over 2 million. We need to have every landlord registered (certainly no more than a £50 fee!) so they can gain access to information and support to stop so many making mistakes with tenancy agreements, deposits, evictions etc which lead to misery. It would mean every landlord could make his/her voice heard and we would have much improved leverage with policy makers.