6th November 2001

The Private Rented Sector, Regulated Social Landlords, Housing Agencies and Government must all work together to achieve a ‘Public Private Partnership’ that requires no special funding, works to the same rules to gain the same objectives, provides real choice in housing and a fair return to urgently needed new investors.

This is the message that regulated letting agents from around the country will hear at the Annual Conference of the Association of Residential Letting Agents, ARLA, in London later this month (November 20th at the Commonwealth Institute).

They will also hear that ARLA needs to do more to ensure that all tenants and potential tenants only rent through fully bonded, professionally qualified letting agents to safeguard both their rents and deposits and their health and safety. Landlords also need such professionalism, especially the new breed of Buy to Let investor.

The new ARLA Chairman, John Crossley FRICS, believes that there is a need for strategic alliances between the public and private sectors, to work with government and educate the public of the pitfalls of not using regulated . letting agents and social landlords. These alliances are also needed to ensure equal treatment by government across the whole range of rented housing, to meet the needs of all tenants in the 21st century.

Mr Crossley pointed out that protection from benefit fraud, one of the biggest injustices in the provision of housing, is now unequal. There is one rule for the social landlord and one for the private landlord.

ARLA has long argued with successive governments for reform of Housing Benefit. Landlords refuse tenants on housing benefit for fear of the system that allows rents to be clawed back from the landlord if the tenant is or was not entitled to benefit. protect themselves, landlords also refuse these tenants for the lack of a deposit or deposit guarantee.

“Now, suddenly, we are told that Regulated Social Landlords but not private landlords can have everything ARLA has asked of government for more than a decade. This is not joined-up housing, let alone joined up government. Why should only social landlords be safe from benefit fraud?” Mr Crossley asked.

“Over the other major issue effecting housing benefit tenants, the problem of deposits, Brent has shown that it is possible to treat social and private landlords as equally responsible housing providers. This local authority has announced insurance cover to provide deposit guarantees for housing benefit tenants looking for housing in the private sector. Good for Brent!” he added.

Conference delegates will also be told of the danger from proposed regulation of Houses in Multiple Occupation. Experience in Scotland of harsh legislation is driving landlords out of the market, reducing the availability of rented accommodation overall and for sharers in particular.

“We all agree that sub-standard hostel or bedsit-style accommodation needs to comply with essential health and safety standards but any regulation must be designed on a sensible, even-handed basis to apply nationally and not imposed at the individual whim of the local authority,” said Mr Crossley.

“In Scotland, legislation is in place to trap all accommodation occupied by more than two unrelated tenants. This will include ordinary, small flats and houses where rigorous hotel-type standards will be imposed and expensive licenses and planning consents will also be required. We do not want to see in England and Wales the potential destruction ofthe rental market for sharers.” Mr Crossley warned that while the regulation of the sharers market would cause problems for tenants, proposed selective licensing could worry socially concerned landlords in some areas of the country.

Selective legislation is always dangerous, never even handed. At best it seeks to scrape of the spots, not treat the disease of bad landlords. Regulation like this can . easily deter the investment of much needed private capital into areas where local authorities and regulated social landlords cannot cope and where help is urgently needed from the private sector.”

“Government still seems unsure of what constructive role it can play in the Private Rented Sector,” said Mr Crossley. To counter this problem, he urged ARLA members to treat the Association as a growing force for change.

“If we are to increase the influence of ARLA, we need to reinforce our voice with a bigger membership. Already, ARIA agents implement more than half a million tenancies a year. The Association must make it possible for all responsible landlords and their tenants to understand that their money, their property and their health and safety is secure. We must let them find a properly regulated ARLA member letting agent in every last corner ofthe country.

ARLA letting agents can be found on www.arla.co.uk  or through the ARLA Hotline 0845 345 5752

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