Industry News


Pandemic uncertainty pushesmore tenants towards wanting long termtenancies


Research frombuild to rent specialists Ascend Properties, has highlighted the important role of the sector inmeeting the needs of themodern-day tenant, as an overwhelmingmajority say they want longer tenancies. The survey of over a thousand UK tenants


commissioned by Ascend found that 93 per cent of those asked think that tenancies longer than 12months should bemore widely available within the UK rentalmarket. Some 81 per cent also stated that the


pandemic and the turbulent rental landscape that emerged, as a result, havemade them more likely to rent a property for longer than 12months. The driving factor behind tenant demand


for longer-termtenancy agreements is the security they provide, withmany having no choice but tomove on at the end of the year should their landlord choose not to renew. However, wider lifestyle choices also


ranked high, with the opportunity tomake a rental home feelmore like their actual home placing as the secondmost influential reason. The ability to better plan for the future


also provides great appeal, with the ability to lay a stronger foundation within their personal life also ranking high. Other appealing factors included a greater sense of being part of the community and amore stable foundation for their professional life. Managing Director of Ascend Properties,


GedMcPartlin, commented: “It’s clear to see why the build to rent sector is growing so rapidly as it clearly appeals to the needs of themodern-day tenant farmore so than a traditional rental property. “The ability to rent the same home for a


far longer period of time is an integral part of this lifestyle shift and it’s clear that it not only offers a greater sense of security, but also the opportunity to lay strong roots within a particular area without having to opt for the route of homeownership. “Whether the Government will domore to


offer long termtenancies across the board remains to be seen, but certainly for the time being, the build to rent sector continues to pick up the slack and provide the rental accommodation that residents want, rather than having little other choice but to inhabit.”


Failure to tackle rogue landlords is putting tenants at risk


biggest organisations representing private landlords. With the Government pledged to publish aWhite


T


Paper setting out proposed reforms for the private rented sector in England, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) is warning that everymeasure in it will fail without robust action to root out rogue and criminal landlords. Publishing its own shadow white paper for the


sector, the NRLA points to figures previously cited by the Government which show that just 43 landlords are currently listed on the database of rogue landlords in England. This is despite Ministers’ previous suggestion that up to 10,500 rogue landlordsmay be operating in the PRS. Previous research by the NRLA reveals that the


number of statutory provisions applying to England has risen by 40 per cent over the last decade to 168 pieces of legislation. The NRLA says the conclusions demonstrate that


local authorities’ inability to enforce existing legislation, as opposed to a lack of powers, is the key problem in this area. Figures released by Unchecked UK suggest that


between 2009 and 2019 the amount spent on Local Authority EnvironmentalHealth Officers in England andWales fell by around a third. The NRLA is calling on the Government


to conduct a full assessment of the ability of councils to enforce the wide range of powers already available to tackle rogue and criminal landlords.However, central government needs to provide upfront,multi-year funding to help local authorities to build the capacity to tackle bad practice.


10 | HMMOctober/November 2021 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


he Government needs to address a chronic failure to tackle rogue landlords who put tenants at risk, according to one of the


NO FAULT REPOSSESSIONS The proposals are among a number being put forward by the NRLA as the Government develops its plans for the sector, including the ending of Section 21, so called ‘no fault’ repossessions. In calling for changes that work for both


responsible landlords and tenants, the NRLA is proposing a system that provides a set of clear and comprehensive rights for landlords. This would give landlords the ability to take back possession of properties but would balance these additional rights with robust protections for tenants. It is also calling for a new landlord/tenant dispute


body, similar to the employment body ACAS, to enable landlords and tenants to reach agreement without the need to go to court.Where cases do end up in court theymust be dealt withmore efficiently, making use of video technology wherever possible. At present it can take around a year for a legitimate repossession claim to reach a conclusion. Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National


Residential Landlords Association, said: “We need to address the chronic failure to take action against rogue and criminal landlords. It puts tenants at risk and undermines the reputation of the overwhelmingmajority of landlords who play by the rules. AsMinisters develop their plans for the sector, they need to be clear whether any of what they propose will be properly enforced. “More broadly, it is vital that the forthcoming


White Paper strikes a fair balance between the needs of both tenants and landlords. It is in that spirit that we continue to work with the Government and others to develop workable policies that protect tenants frombad landlords whilst ensuring good landlords have the confidence to provide the homes to rent the country desperately needs.”


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