Increased regulation of the private rented sector (PRS) will do nothing to enable it to meet housing demand from potential new migrants from Romania and Bulgaria according to the Residential Landlords Association (RLA).

The RLA have responded to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) report which notes that whilst the Government’s policy of turning landlords into ‘border agents’ will have no bearing on EU migrants, greater regulation of the sector is needed to deal with the potential spike in immigrants from the two countries after transitional controls were lifted on 1st January 2014.

Alan Ward, Chairman of the RLA, said: “The report is right to conclude that the Government’s plans to turn landlords into border agents will do nothing in respect of migrants from Romania and Bulgaria.

“The IPPR proposals for local authorities to limit the number of tenancies and size of the local private rented market in their area would overload councils. It will have a devastating effect on the market as the worst types of landlords will resort to renting without tenancy agreements which leaves tenants un-protected and at the mercy of criminals.

“Councils must use their wide, existing powers to uphold standards of public health and housing and not resort to income generation from licensing schemes which are proven to do nothing for tenants.”

The report argues that local authorities should be given powers to ‘control the numbers of short-term private-rented lets available in their areas’ and to provide them with ‘greater oversight to ensure that existing health and fire safety regulations are properly enforced’.