editor posted on August 09, 2010 06:01
“I looked long
and hard for and asked in the Department about the supposed landlords register
that the previous Government announced. I could not find a scrap of paper about
it, leading me to conclude that it was more a case of a press release than a
policy on a landlords register.” So said Housing Minister Grant Shapps when
asked why he was so "indifferent to the rights of private tenants".
In a recent House
of Commons debate, Chris Williamson (Derby North, Labour) asked whether the new
Minister planned to introduce a national register of private landlords. Another
MP, Lillian Greenwood, (Nottingham South, Labour) also asked whether he planned
to review the regulatory framework applying to managing and letting agents.
Chris Williamson said, “Why is the Minister so indifferent to the rights of
private tenants? Is not he worried that weakening local authorities' powers
will give a green light to rogue landlords and lead to a surge in the number of
houses in multiple occupation? I ask him in all sincerity to think again about
ditching the plans to give private tenants greater protection-or is he happy to
usher in a new era of Rachmanism?”
Mr Shapps
replied, “The Honorable Gentleman may not have been here when I last addressed
this subject, but I am keen to protect tenants' rights and to ensure that
sufficient landlords can operate in the market and are not regulated out of it,
thereby making rents more expensive for the very people who want to go into the
private rented sector. I looked long and hard for and asked in the Department
about the supposed landlords register that the previous Government announced. I
could not find a scrap of paper about it, leading me to conclude that it was
more a case of a press release than a policy on a landlords register.”
Lillian
Greenwood wasn’t content to leave the issue there saying, “There are almost
11,000 private tenants in my constituency, many of whom are students, including
overseas students, who are particularly vulnerable to exploitation by rogue
landlords –there are numerous examples of that. Does the Minister agree with
the Association of Residential Letting Agents that tenants deserve protection,
and that regulation is required to drive up standards?”
“I agree
absolutely that tenants deserve protection and that regulations are, of course,
required. However, perhaps the Honorable Lady would like to reflect on the fact
that we have been in government for two months whereas her party were in
government for 13 years. There must be a good reason why the previous
Government did not regulate the industry further in that time – and there is.
Many different powers are available to local authorities to ensure that they
look after residents. Those powers now include HMO-ing, and we will ensure that
they apply in areas where local authorities want them, but we no longer need
the bureaucracy of their applying nationwide.”
So there we
have it, those who believe that it’s a free market and professionalism should
win through are happy. Those who believe that the steel hand of legislation is
the only way to drive the cowboys out of town are, perhaps, disappointed.