Biggest PRS shakeup in 40 years

Ben Beadle, chief executive at the NRLA: “Today marks the biggest shakeup to the private rented sector for almost 40 years.

“With 4.7 million households across England in the private rented sector, it is vital that the changes work for landlords as well as tenants.

“The key measures of success for these reforms are threefold:

• whether responsible landlords have the confidence to continue providing the homes to rent so many tenants desperately need
• whether they root out for good the minority of rogue and criminal landlords who undermine the reputation of the responsible majority
• whether the courts process legitimate possession claims, such as those related to rent arrears and anti-social behaviour, fairly and quickly enough to give landlords the confidence to invest in those homes

“On all three tests, the jury is very firmly out. We will be monitoring developments closely to assess whether the Act is working as intended in practice.

“While today is undoubtedly a significant moment, other important parts of the Act, including the planned Decent Homes Standard, the private rented sector Ombudsman and the PRS landlord database, have yet to be implemented.

“It is therefore vital that landlords continue to keep on top of how these remaining reforms will be rolled out to ensure they remain compliant with their legal obligations.

“The NRLA will continue to provide landlords with all the resources they need to prepare and plan for all these changes as early and effectively as possible, as well as hold the government’s feet to the fire in ensuring that, when implemented, they command the confidence of responsible landlords.”