The Housing and Planning Bill is set to get its third reading in the House of Commons today.
The bill will then go through the House of Lords on a date yet to be confirmed, where it will be formally introduced in a first reading, proceed to a second reading, followed by the committee stage and a third reading.
Housing and Planning Bill to get Third Reading Todayand a third reading.
The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has published a briefing paper to peers, calling for numerous amendments.
The RLA wants local authorities to be obliged to collect information on landlords through Council Tax forms from tenants.
It explains: “At present, local authorities have the right to ask for details of a property’s landlord to assist with the collection of Council Tax, but very few use the power.
“The RLA believes local authorities should now be compelled to collect such information on Council Tax registration forms for use in the enforcement of regulations affecting the sector.
“Getting tenants to identify landlords will mean that criminals will find it harder to hide from local authority enforcement officers.”1
The organisation is also calling for an amendment to make it easier for landlords to offer longer tenancies.
It states that in London, a huge problem is that leases on blocks of flats prohibit tenancies of more than a year. The RLA would like landlords to be able to grant sub-tenancies of up to a year.
Another amendment suggested by the RLA is that landlords included on the blacklist of rogue landlords and letting agents, which the bill would introduce, should not have their names on it permanently if they commit to a period of education.
The body notes that the banning orders on landlords and agents are not permanent under the bill’s provisions, and this should also be applied to the blacklist.
Additionally, the RLA calls for tenancy deposit schemes to be modernised, so that the prescribed information that landlords must provide to their tenants can be offered electronically as well as in paper form.
Do you agree with the RLA’s suggestions? What would you request?
1 http://news.rla.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/151109-Housing-Bill-Committee-Briefing.pdf