Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2014-05-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance they offer to local authorities on the outline and content of local letting agent and landlord accreditation schemes.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston

Information on how many local authorities operate letting agent or landlord accreditation schemes is not centrally held. The decision on whether to establish letting agent or landlord accreditation schemes is best made by local authorities who can take account of local conditions and circumstances. The Department does not therefore produce any guidance on such schemes.

We are improving standards in the sector. Later this year, we will bring regulations into force that will require the remaining 3,000 letting and property management agents to join one of the 3 approved redress schemes, thereby improving protection for both tenants and landlords. In addition, we have made over £4 million available to 23 local authorities to help them tackle acute and complex problems with rogue landlords in their area. This builds on the £2.6 million we have given nine local authorities to support enforcement against “Beds in Sheds”.