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Landlords Produce 'Rental Sector' White Paper

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Ahead of the governments planned white paper on how the Private Rental Sector (PRS) should operate and be regulated due to be published this autumn, the NRLA has worked with landlord groups around the country including the PDPLA to produce our own version of this document outlining longer term solutions to many of the problems in this sector.

Background 

At the beginning of the current session of Parliament in May 2021, the UK Government reiterated its commitment to reform the private rented sector. They have said that they will publish a White Paper - a policy document outlining their proposals for future legislation - in autumn 2021.

The White Paper is expected to set out the Government's plans for possession reform and the future of Section 21 (so-called 'no fault') possession, as well as a broader remit, including exploring mandatory redress for landlords, the merits of a landlord register, and reforms to enforcement.

The NRLA has welcomed the Government's decision to publish a white paper, recognising the significance of the changes for the sector. We are participating, along with other stakeholders, in roundtables chaired by Eddie Hughes MP, Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, to discuss the issues which will be raised in the White Paper. 

The 'white paper' is in the PDPLA members area (here) or can be downloaded direct from the NRLA here:   https://www.nrla.org.uk/campaigns/rental-reform

Our View

This is a great document which tackles head on some of the really hard problems such as repossession and the governments desire to reduce avoidable evictions.

It outlines solutions for 'lifetime deposits' which could work - the proposal is somewhat aspirational, but likely to be far more workable than some of the suggestions we have seen suggested by government sources.

The only area we would have liked to have seen more is in relation to student tenants - current proposals talk about fixed term contracts to avoid issues with the abolition of Section 21 and the resultant inability to ask students to leave at the end of the semester unless specific exceptions are made for them. We would have preferred to have seen a proposal for Licences in the same manner as are used and acceptable in student halls.

If you don't have time to read it (who does?), make sure you at least browse the intro and the summary plus any specifics relevant to you. If there are any areas you disagree with or you feel should have been expressed more strongly, do please let us know.  

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About the author

Martin Silman

Martin began his landlord journey 18 years ago, while working in an international role for a global telecommunications company. Since retiring he has extended his portfolio, which he manages with his wife, but has always focussed on the ‘small student HMO’ sector preferring to offer homes in the community for small groups to the more common ‘pack them in and take the money’ mentality. He has chaired the PDPLA for the past 9 years and has overseen the Associations transition from small local self-help group to a much larger and more professional institution which is recognised and listened to nationally. Alongside his PDPLA role, he also has leadership roles in a number of other local organisations – bringing his unique perspective, driving for change and increased use of technology while respecting the history that brought us here.

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