In a drive to improve poor housing conditions in the private rented sector (PRS), the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) is calling for a new national landlord registration scheme for England.

It says that poor quality housing is responsible for a high proportion of the deaths, injuries and chronic illnesses that impact on life expectancy in the UK and points out that the PRS has higher proportions of substandard housing.

It also says that local authorities have limited knowledge of landlords and the properties in their local areas and there is no statutory requirement for landlords to declare their interests, and rogue landlords exploit this to the detriment of their tenants.

To tackle this situation, CIEH is calling on politicians from across the political spectrum to commit to introducing a new mandatory landlord registration scheme for England, mirroring those already in operation in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

CIEH also believes that data from the new register would enable more local authorities to engage with landlords, via local landlord forums, to improve landlords’ knowledge of safe property conditions, good management practices and their obligations as a landlord.