We do not need redefining, additional legislation or charters.

The core legislation is in place.

What we need are

1. The promised updates of supporting standards, such as MEES/EPC, Decent Homes Standard and HHSRS – all of which have reviews which are more than 3 years past their expected publication dates.

2. Enforcement which is consistent and better targeted, with the worst offenders stripped of their property/management/rents and publicly named and shamed.
Why are the rogue registers not publicly accessible? If there are so many rogues, requiring the explosion of licencing schemes, why are there so few of these criminal operators on the registers?
The London register shows 226 records at October 2024
https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/governance-and-spending/sharing-our-information/foi-disclosure-log/foi-rogue-landlord-and-agent-checker-oct-2024

In the early hearings for the Tories Renters Reform Bill, there was rare agreement by all stakeholders (landlords / agents / tenant groups / local government and others) that the proposed Property Portal offered a common sense way of both signposting tenant help and resources and to ensure compliant homes were being operated by reputable landlords.

Oner the summer, in response to an iHowz FOI request, the government confirmed that around £800,000 has already been spent developing the portal. Where was the consultation to advise proposed requirements/content? The odds on the PP being yet another poorly designed government IT project, delivered late, over budget and so poorly designed that it is then retired or rewritten seem high.

Over the coming months, iHowz will be asking more probing questions on this project, and the rest of the RRB, to reign in government and media attacks on hard-working landlords.

Andy Burnham claims the Good Landlord Charter will raise standards without driving landlords out