Lords frustrated by UK Government response on RoPA
The Chair of the Industry and Regulators Committee in the House of Lords, Baroness Taylor of Bolton, has written to the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), expressing disappointment at the UK Government’s response to findings of the Committee’s inquiry into the need for the regulation of property agents.
PRS needs greater professionalism says Labour-backed report
A report commissioned by the Labour Party states that the opportunity to live in a secure, affordable and accessible home is out of reach for many people, and this is set to remain the case unless the system is changed significantly. They state that landlords and agents should be registered and accredited, recommend rent stabilisation measures, and support longer term tenancies based on the model of Rent Smart Wales.
Renters Reform returning to Parliament in a storm of criticism
The Leader of the House of Commons has confirmed the remaining stages of the Renters (Reform) Bill will take place on Wednesday 24 April 2024 with some key changes to the Bill brought forward. Whilst the UK Government has listened and reacted to some industry concerns, another chance has been wasted to effectively regulate property agents.
Stormont has the chance to address critical housing issues with policy refresh
The Department for Communities (DfC) is refreshing it's proposals for reform of the Private Rented Sector (PRS) which were first published in 2017. In response to their stakeholder survey, Propertymark has urged the DfC to prioritise increasing housing supply, regulating property agents, and taking a carefully considered approach to energy efficiency targets.
PRS tenants must not be left behind as social sector raises standards
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities intends to boost standards in social housing by requiring senior managers and executives to have, or be working towards, a relevant qualification. Propertymark has strongly challenged the decision not to extend this requirement to all property agents in the UK, and questioned why private tenants should not expect the same protections as those in the social sector.
Lords tell UK Government to get on with agent regulation
Following a short inquiry, at which Propertymark gave evidence, the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee has bluntly asked the UK Government why it has not yet established a regulator of property agents, four years after it committed to doing so.
A step closer to the regulation of property agents
Propertymark has long called for the regulation and today, 5 March 2024, gave evidence at a House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee Inquiry which examined whether there should be a new regulator as recommended by the report of the Regulation of Property Agents working group in 2019.
How the housing market should be supported in Northern Ireland
The Devolved Government has been restored after 24 months of no activity. Whilst the Civil Service moved ahead with some actions, there are issues for the housing sector which have been on hold. Ministers must now act to make key improvements to address supply, implement the rest of the Private Tenancies Act, and rule out rent controls to protect the private rented sector.
Solving leasehold injustice could have bigger benefits
The UK Government should take advantage of the momentum in leasehold reform to stamp out ground rents, invigorate property sales, and promote professional management of leasehold property by qualified and regulated agents.
Professionalise the PRS to safeguard tenant health and safety
As a report from the Commons Health and Social Care Committee (HSCC) calls for urgent action from the UK Government to set out a timetable for a Decent Homes Standard for the private rented sector (PRS), Propertymark reiterates the need for robust training, qualifications, and competency standards for property managers across both sectors, as well as adequate resources to enforce standards.
Shadow minister and leasehold leader echo Propertymark call for agent regulation
Matthew Pennycook, MP, has put forward an amendment which would lead to implementation of the Regulation of Property Agents working group report within 24 months of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill becoming law, whilst Martin Boyd, Chair of the Leasehold Advisory Service, lent his full support to the statutory regulation of agents, stating that it is ‘simply wrong’ that there are no qualification requirements for private sector property managers.
Propertymark is a specialist witness for parliamentary PRS report
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Private Rented Sector launched its report Ensuring Rental Reform Works for Tenants and Landlords at a session on 12 December 2023 with our Head of Policy and Campaigns, Timothy Douglas, in attendance to raise the concerns of Propertymark and its members as well as pushing our calls to qualify and regulate property professionals.
Renters Reform must balance interests of tenants and landlords
Propertymark has submitted written evidence to the Public Bill Committee on the Renters (Reform) Bill, citing data demonstrating the level of concern amongst our members about measures likely to make the PRS increasingly hostile to property owners and the unintended consequences for people in need of homes.
Labour are committed to regulation of property agents
Matthew Pennycook MP, Shadow Housing Minister said that a future Labour government would look to introduce the recommendations in Lord Best’s report to regulate property agents.
RoPA recommendations continue to be considered
Housing Minister, Eddie Hughes MP has responded to a question from Dr Matthew Offord MP outlining that the UK Government is considering the recommendations in the final report on the regulation of property agents from Lord Best’s working group.
UK Government to evaluate impact of legislative changes on the PRS
The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee’s report on the Regulation of Private Renting, published today, 13 April 2022, claims that better data is needed to understand issues within the private rented sector (PRS) in England and to evaluate the impact of legislative changes on landlords, tenants, the housing market as a whole and the effectiveness of regulation.