Landlords- Parliamentary Written Answer

Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will introduce a national register of landlords; and what steps his Department is taking to make it easier for local authorities to introduce a licensing scheme for landlords. 

Kris Hopkins: The overwhelming majority of landlords provide a good service and the Government does not want to impose unnecessary additional costs on them. We have no plans to introduce a national register which would be a financial burden on all landlords estimated at £40 million per year. Those costs would be passed on to tenants through higher rents. Local authorities can already introduce a licensing scheme where an area is suffering from anti-social behaviour and/or low housing demand. We recently published a discussion paper, “Review of Property Conditions in the Private Rented Sector”, which invited views on ways in which licensing can be made more effective and proportionate.