Speaking at the CML Future Housing Conference, Simon Gordon, head of external relations for the NLA, said standards in the sector will be forced up as the demographic of the sector becomes much more diverse as fewer people are able to buy and they demand better quality housing.
Gordon said: “This is no time for complacency; it is time to prove the sector’s competence and step up to the mark. Landlords have to understand they will get greater scrutiny from the public as demand grows.”
He said the image of the sector had to change from one where it was the repository of the old and poor to one that recognises the range of tenants, including students, young professionals, families and those that rent as a lifestyle choice and will shop around.
Gordon said: “What was acceptable once is not acceptable now. It is a very different age for the private rented sector, which is all part of rising expectations.
“I don’t think the private rented sector is the new owner-occupier market, as most tenants will go on to buy, but while those people are in the sector it will mean a more mixed industry that is more demanding of standards. Virtue will come out necessity.”
However, he acknowledged that the sector still faced problems with rogue operators and irresponsible landlords, and said local authorities must use their powers to oust them from the sector.
In addition, Gordon said the NLA supported landlord accreditation, but added that the private rented sector did not need to be regulated further and it must prove it can self-regulate.
Gordon added: “The sector is holding its own at the moment, but it does need help. It needs a loosening of funding, so landlords can expand their portfolios and buy up properties of inexperienced landlords.”
