NRLA addresses Government roundtables
The NRLA has addressed two Government roundtables this week – on anti-social behaviour and student tenancies.
Housing Minister Felicity Buchan and other stakeholders were in attendance at both meetings, which were organised at the request of the NRLA in response to Government plans outlined in its Rental Reform White Paper.
The challenge posed by anti-social tenants and how to deal with them, along with the proposed abolition of the fixed term contract and its impact on student landlords, are two of the core pillars of the NRLA’s campaign on rental reform.
Anti-social behaviour
At Monday’s roundtable on antisocial behaviour, NRLA Chief Executive Ben Beadle told the Minister and other Government officials that the existing plans to tackle anti-social behaviour do not go far enough when it comes to tackling the issue swiftly and effectively.
He outlined a range of steps the Government could take to ensure landlords have confidence in the system, saying it must:
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Require the courts to prioritise possession cases in instances of anti-social behaviour
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Produce statutory guidance on ‘low-level’ anti-social behaviour and the circumstances in which it is reasonable to grant possession
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Require local authority and police action on anti-social behaviour to be recorded on the Property Portal
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Implement the recommendations of the Victims Commissioner’s 2019 report on anti-social behaviour
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Require local authorities and the police to report annually on their work to address statutory nuisance and anti-social behaviour.
He also stressed this is not an isolated issue, with, 50% of landlords who answered a recent NRLA survey saying they repossessed a property because of a tenant’s anti-social or criminal behaviour. Of these 67% struggled to collect evidence and 83% had no help from their local authority.
Student tenancies and the fixed term
At Tuesday’s event, Ben explained that abolishing the fixed term means student landlords will have no guarantee students will leave at the end of an academic year, making it almost impossible for them to arrange tenancies for the next. This runs the risk of leaving students looking for PRS accommodation high and dry.
NRLA data shows 84% of landlords renting to students say they are concerned about the Government’s plans as they stand, with representatives of the association asking government to extend the exemption from periodic tenancies offered to private purpose-built student accommodation blocks, to student landlords in the PRS.
The association also shared recommendations that student landlords should be given permission to repossess a property with two months’ notice where it is required for new students each year.
With student landlords’ business model based on fixed term tenancies Ben warned the student housing market could be plunged into chaos should the plans go ahead in their current form, with a major impact on the supply of homes to let.
More information
To read more about the NRLA’s rental reform campaign and get involved click here.
To read our latest calls on student tenancies – and the data backing them up click here.
