MPs have urged the government to make it easier for councils to bring in selective licensing schemes to help improve standards in the PRS.

The cross-party Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee wants the maximum duration of schemes to be 10 years and says councils should be able to set licence conditions requiring landlords to improve the physical condition of their properties. Councils should also be able to bring in selective licensing regardless of whether the PRS makes up a significant proportion of local housing market or not.

Its report on housing conditions in the private rented sector recommends that the government introduce incentives for landlords and strengthens deterrents against breaches, in order to speed up compliance with the new Decent Homes Standard ahead of the 2035 deadline.

Ambitious

It wants the government to be more ambitious in its plans for the Private Rented Sector Database so it can act as a tool to drive up standards, giving tenants comprehensive information on the fitness of landlords, the quality of homes, and enable the reporting of concerns. Good landlords letting out safe, decent homes should be able to use the database to differentiate themselves from their competition, it adds.

The committee also urges the government to roll out Awaab’s Law in the PRS this year so legal timescales for landlords to resolve hazards are fully in place by the end of 2028/29.

Priority

It rules out rent controls but says the government’s immediate priority must be to ensure the protections that are in place against above-market rent increases through the First Tier Tribunal are working effectively.

Although the NRLA welcomes the committee’s calls for the courts to be properly resourced, and its rejection of calls for rent controls, the landlord body has slammed its suggestions around licensing.

“We fundamentally reject the idea that it should be easier for councils to introduce landlord licensing schemes,” says chief executive Ben Beadle. “Licensing can be an effective tool when used sparingly and in a focused manner. Allowing local authorities carte blanche to apply it will serve only to duplicate the information councils will be able to obtain from a well-designed PRS Database.”

‍