Rents will rise and affordable properties will be scarce claims leading association

The Residential Landlords' Association has warned that Government licensing proposals contained in the draft housing bill will push up rents and throw the rental market into chaos because of a lack of local authority resources to implement the over-the-top legislation.

RLA chairman Martin Moylan stressed that UK local government does not have enough housing officers to physically carry out licensing checks or enough staff to process applications.

"It will be chaos," he warned. "There was a fiasco with a similar scheme in Scotland and this will be the same.

"The Government has seriously underestimated the number of properties affected. Some shared houses will need a licence as well as bedsits and the inevitable backlog will see reputable landlords unintentionally breaking the law and facing heavy fines unless they remove their properties from the market.

"However well intentioned the licensing scheme is, it won't root out the rogue landlords which the Government wants to target, it will just see rents rise at a time when the UK housing market is so overheated that many young people can't get a home unless they rent.

"The cost for licensing each property will be between £10,000 and £20,000 and landlords simply can't take that kind of hit without having to increase rents. Does the Government really want to be reducing the availability of affordable, short term and furnished accommodation to key workers and students?"

In addition to the cost of improvements, the RLA also highlighted the fact that most landlords are experiencing serious difficulties because of the UK's well publicised lack of plumbers, electricians and builders.

The Residential Landlords Association - which represents over 1,500 landlords with more than £1.2billion worth of property and more than 30,000 tenancies across the UK - is calling on the Government to rethink its plans and has responded to the draft housing bill by urging the expansion of voluntary accreditation schemes to promote better management and training of landlords.

As the UK's leading voice in the private rented sector, the RLA has branches throughout the UK which offers training programmes, an advice hot-line and deals on legal services and insurance as well as a free tenancy agreement which carries the Crystal Mark awarded by the Plain English Campaign.

Anyone wanting more information about the RLA should visit www.rla.org.uk or call 0161 962 0010.

ENDS June 2003