News from the Residential Property Investor, the bi-monthly magazine for RLA members other artilces from the August / September 04 issue RPI news archive

Fitness certificate proposed by RLA - August / September 2004

Introduction of a new 'certificate of fitness' for landlords has been proposed by the RLA as a means of reducing the bureaucracy involved in Government landlord licensing proposals.

Details have been added to Housing Bill clauses introducing mandatory licensing for three storey houses in multiple occupation with five or more tenants and other limited discretionary local authority licensing powers. These have come in the form of a consultation paper published in July.

But the RLA, which has been campaigning extensively on the Bill, said the proposals would introduce excessive regulation that would lead to landlords selling off their HMO properties.

'In the Bill it is proposed that each time a landlord applies for a licence for a property, he shall be assessed as a "fit and proper" person. This could, and indeed in many cases will, result in the same person being assessed several times by the same authority, possibly within a short space of time. In one of our member's cases he will be assessed 150 times by the same authority. This clearly is a waste of time and money, the only beneficiary being the authority which will recoup fees', said the RLA in a letter to Minister of State Lord Rooker, crossbencher Lord Best, and Conservative Lord Selsdon.

'Instead, we propose that a landlord applies to the authority for a "certificate of fitness" which would last for 10 years before an application would have to be made for renewal. This would mean only the properties themselves owned by these landlords would need to be assessed before a licence could be issued'.

RLA director Mark Butterworth told RPI: 'Heaping expensive standards and administration on the private rented sector will not help in providing budget accommodation and will concentrate the market into new two bedroom flats ­ which may be what the Government wants, but not what many of the people we house want'.
 

other artilces from the August / September 2004 issue

• Licenced to charge
• Fitness certificate proposed by RLA
• 'Sensible approach' by landlords
• Built-in flood resilience to be required
• Crackdown on estate agents
• Landlords striking better deals
• Conservative plan the 'right to own'
• 'Natural segregation' affects house market
• Spreading the risk
• Watch out for the tender tax trap