The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has slammed the Government after it said it would legislate to ensure landlords pass on discounts from the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) to tenants.
Yesterday, the Government released details of the EBSS including plans to ensure landlords pass on the £400 discount to those paying all-inclusive rents.
But with the scheme yet to begin the NRLA said plans to legislate were “premature” and “sends a dangerous and misleading message that landlords cannot be trusted”.
Chris Norris, policy director for the National Residential Landlords Association, said: “Given payments under the support scheme have not begun to be made, the Government’s plans to legislate are premature and are demonising landlords unnecessarily.
“It sends a dangerous and misleading message that landlords cannot be trusted to do the right thing, creating needless fear and anxiety for tenants.
“The reality is that one-off pots of money like this cannot compensate for the fact that the benefits system is systematically failing to protect the most vulnerable tenants.
“At a time when households finances are being squeezed it makes no sense to have frozen housing benefit rates.”
