The Welsh Housing Bill, which was recently introduced on the 18th November 2013, has been labelled a ‘bureaucratic mess’ by the National Landlords Association (NLA).
The Bill, from Carl Sargent, Minister for Housing and Regeneration, has been introduced to address the following issues:
- Introduce a compulsory registration and licensing scheme for private rented sector landlords and letting and management agents;
- Reform homelessness law, including placing a stronger duty on local authorities to prevent homelessness and allowing them to use suitable accommodation in the private sector;
- Place a duty on local authorities to provide sites for Gypsies and Travellers where a need has been identified.
- Introduce standards for local authorities on rents, service charges and quality of accommodation;
- Reform the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy system;
- Give local authorities the power to charge 50% more than the standard rate of council tax on homes that have been empty for a year or more; and
- Assist the provision of housing by Co-operative Housing Associations.
Richard Lambert, NLA Chief Executive Officer, said: “While it comes as no surprise that the Welsh Government wishes to register all private landlords, it is deeply disappointing that the plans appear mired in burdensome bureaucracy. The requirements outlined in the Housing (Wales) Bill requires landlords to not only register, but to subsequently obtain a licence from what could be numerous local authorities – each of which may stipulate its own conditions and fees. Duplication is inevitable.
“It is also unnecessary, and unhelpful, to require private landlords to submit details of their investments to a public register in the name of driving improvements and rooting out criminals. Far from combating criminality within the private-rented sector and offering solutions to the undersupply of residential property, these measures look certain to increase the cost of providing homes by forcing landlords to comply with yet more red-tape.
“The NLA shares the Welsh Government’s desire to raise standards in the private-rented sector but we remain unconvinced that a national register of landlords is the right approach. It will only serve to increase the cost of living for many hard working families as the fee for registering and subsequently obtaining a license will inevitably be passed on to tenants.”
