header-logo header-logo

Ripe for regulation?

22 July 2010 / Debra Wilson
Issue: 7427 / Categories: Features , Property
printer mail-detail

Debra Wilson questions why the new government has shied away from tighter policing of the private rented sector

A fall out from the previous government housing policy is now clear. The coalition government has decided not to introduce plans which would have provided much better measures to regulate the private rented sector. This is surprising given that the Conservative pre-manifesto policy wanted to provide greater incentives to increase the number of professional long-term landlords into the market through tax incentives.

The proposal for a new regulatory structure was considered necessary in order to encourage greater compliance with the legislative provisions already in place, so as to raise minimum standards of housing condition within the private rented sector, where too many rented properties are poorly managed. The proposal focused on creating a National Register of Landlords.

The maintenance of such a register was with a view to achieving the objectives of:
l better safeguards for tenants including a reduced risk of fraud;
l assistance for existing local authority enforcement activity, including proper targeting of measures;
l to provide information

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Boies Schiller Flexner—Tim Smyth

Boies Schiller Flexner—Tim Smyth

Firm promotes London international arbitration specialist to partnership

Katten Muchin Rosenman—James Davison & Victoria Procter

Katten Muchin Rosenman—James Davison & Victoria Procter

Firm bolsters restructuring practice with senior London hires

HFW—Guy Marrison

HFW—Guy Marrison

Global aviation disputes practice boosted by London partner hire

NEWS
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
Boris Johnson’s 2019 attempt to shut down Parliament remains a constitutional cautionary tale. The move, framed as a routine exercise of the royal prerogative, was in truth an extraordinary effort to sideline Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC dissects how prorogation was wrongly assumed to be beyond judicial scrutiny, only for the Supreme Court to intervene unanimously
A construction defect claim in the Court of Appeal offers a sharp lesson in pleading discipline. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains how a catastrophically drafted schedule of loss derailed otherwise viable claims. Across the areas explored in this week's column, the message is consistent: clarity, economy and proper pleading matter more than ever
back-to-top-scroll