Independent landlords are vital to ensuring a fair and functioning private rented sector (PRS), according to Housing Secretary Michael Gove (pictured).
Writing to the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), Gove spoke of the importance of landlords in providing tenants with flexibility and value for money options.
The Minister explained Government’s plans to reform the sector following publication of the Renters (Reform) Bill.
He said that landlords and tenants shared common interests in a property as being: “a place that can be at the same time a home and an investment, a valued asset and precious security, a shelter and haven.”
He added: “It is vital that these relationships work for everyone, and that we strive to strike a balance for all.”
Focusing on the Government’s plans to reform the sector, which included ending Section 21 repossessions, the Secretary of State warned that in the minority of cases where relationships break down, it was important that the law support the victim, whether tenant or landlord.
He pledged to provide more comprehensive grounds for landlords to recover properties and to make it easier to repossess them where tenants are at fault.
The Minister also pledged to improve the system where repossession cases end up in courts, citing the use of digital platforms as a way of speeding up the processing of legitimate claims.
The Secretary of State concluded that the Government looked forward to working closely with the NRLA “to shape the sector for the good of landlords, and tenants, right across the country.”
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the NRLA, said: “We welcome the Housing Secretary’s commitments, and his recognition of the importance of individual landlords.
“As he rightly notes, the Renters (Reform) Bill needs to work for responsible landlords every bit as much as tenants. Without this it will serve only to exacerbate the rental housing shortage many tenants are now facing.”
He added: “The NRLA will continue to work closely with ministers to ensure the details of the Bill work for all.
“This includes campaigning for improvements to the courts system to ensure landlords are not left for months on end where they have a legitimate reason to repossess a property.”
