Landlord Register

The Department of Levelling Up has published a white paper with a list of achievements they wish to enact by 2030. This is combined with changes to be implemented well before the 2030 deadline, with details to be clarified in another white paper arriving spring 2022.

One of the big features is the requirement for all landlords to be registered, as part of an effort to have more transparency in the private rental sector and to fight rogue landlords. As the white paper states:

“We will consult on introducing a landlords register, and will set out plans for a crackdown on rogue landlords – making sure fines and bans stop repeat offenders leaving renters in terrible conditions.”

The white paper sheds light on the reason for this change, with the desire to “reset the relationship between landlords and tenants”. Due to the whitepaper being more a statement of intent and not an actual plan all details are absent from the announcement.

Relations have already been stressed between many landlords and tenants during the pandemic, and even more so between landlords and the government/courts as a backlog of cases drag out resolutions of possessions. 

There are weekly reports of landlords selling their portfolios, driving rental prices up and options for tenants down. Many of these articles point the finger at the ever vague and changing legislation making it difficult to both operate and maintain possession control resulting in experienced landlords exiting the industry for safer investments.