Private Rented Sector Should Meet Tenants’ Needs Better

The foundation stone of a mature market is all parties being aware of their rights and also their responsibilities. This is currently far from the case in the private rented sector. The legislation governing the sector has evolved over many years and the result is a bewildering regulatory framework under which tenants, landlords and agents do not know where they stand.  A new report recommends that the government review the legislation covering the sector, to produce a much simpler set of regulations that all parties understand. As part of this review, the government should work with groups representing tenants, landlords and agents to produce a standard, plain language tenancy agreement, which all agreements should be based on and which includes an easy-to-read key factsheet, setting out the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords.  Download a copy of the report (in three volumes) from the Parliament website.