The Welsh government has been urged to extend the nation’s housing standard to the PRS by a report making wide-ranging recommendations.
The report, prepared by Wales’ local government and housing committee, has made 13 recommendations to the Welsh parliament, or Senedd.
A key recommendation was the possible extension of the Welsh housing quality standard, or WHQS, to the PRS. Though conceding this would be significant in scale, the report agreed with points raised by academic Dr Edith England, a senior lecturer in social policy and practice at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
“We agree with Dr England that it is difficult to justify why people living in PRS homes should be any less entitled to quality housing than people living in social housing,” the report read.
“To that end, we support the extension of the WHQS to the PRS, and want to see clarity about when and how the commitment in the WHQS will be given effect.”
Elsewhere, the report has recommended the Welsh government should explore the use and effectiveness of local authorities’ compulsory purchase powers.
The report has made this recommendation as a means of discouraging persistent bad practice by landlords, with a view to encouraging their wider use if considered effective.
Other recommendations including the development of a statutory ratings schemes for lettings agent, a property ‘MOT’ system and tenants of no-fault evictions being allowed to retain their last two months’ rent as compensation.
Overall, the government is being recommended to publish a “concise statement” outlining its vision for the country’s PRS. Additionally, concerns were raised about the reliability of data held by Rent Smart Wales - with the report warning the government should not be “duped” by relying on this.
In his foreword, chair of the committee John Griffiths wrote: “We know that owning their own home is currently out of the reach of many and with demand for social housing exceeding supply, the PRS plays a crucial role in providing homes for an increasing number of people.
“I believe that the recommendations we’ve made in this report can contribute to making sure that the PRS meets the needs of all those who rent or own the properties.”
The report’s findings have been welcomed by the NRLA, in particular the need for a long-term strategy for the PRS in Wales.
“The committee highlights the critical need for a long-term strategy for the PRS in Wales, and this can go a long way towards the development of a Welsh rental market that works in the interests of good landlords and tenants,” said Ben Beadle, CEO of the NRLA.
“However, although we welcome a number of the report’s findings, we would like to see the committee and Welsh government make resolving the sector’s supply crisis a top priority.”