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Landlords have branded the Government's proposals for a landlord register as unworkable and have called for a scrapping of the plan that they say hasn't worked in Scotland, where it has been enforced for three years.

In the recent Rugg Review into the rental market, it proposed a ‘light-touch, no hurdles' scheme, where an independent body would oversee landlords paying a small fee in return for a unique landlord registration number. Having to re-register annually, landlords would use their registration number on tenancy agreements, in court proceedings and at local authority Housing Benefit offices.

But the National Landlord's Association says this is not the case. It says the proposals require every landlord to register not only their name and address but also the addresses of all of the properties they let. To many landlords the NLA thinks this is overly intrusive and it is concerned at how this will be policed. It also warns that these requirements represent a major hurdle.

It says a landlord license has been in force in Scotland since April 2006 and has been a total failure. Research published by Shelter Scotland shows that currently one in four rental properties are not registered with some local authorities aware of unregistered properties and unable to do anything because of a lack of resources.

David Salusbury, chairman of the NLA says: "In the current economic climate, the last thing good landlords need is to feel penalised. Reform must be workable for landlords and not damage the private-rented sector.

"It is vital that any new legislation will not just introduce burdensome regulations which will be of no benefit to landlords or tenants. This is why the NLA has labelled the latest Government recommendations on the private-rented sector "well-meaning but flawed".

SOURCE: NLA, 29/05/09

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