Propertymark secures increased transparency for the property sector in latest UK Government announcement

Industry body Propertymark says policy makers are listening as UK Government commits itself to making information on rogue landlords and property agents public.

To coincide with plans to reform the Database, including making offence data publicly viewable, the UK Government have committed to introducing a new Property Portal as set out in the ‘a fairer private rented sector’ White Paper, published in June 2022.

The Property Portal will provide a single ‘front door’ for landlords to understand their responsibilities, provide tenants access to information about their landlord’s compliance, and local councils access to better data to crack down on criminal landlords. The UK Government plan to bolster this even further by incorporating some of the functionality of the existing Database of Rogue Landlords and Property Agents.

Propertymark has pushed UK Government to ensure that access to the Database is widened to act as a greater deterrent and ensure potential tenants, current tenants, landlords, letting agents, membership organisations, sector schemes and enforcement bodies know who should and should not be operating.

Timothy Douglas, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Propertymark comments:

“Propertymark has long called for the Database of Rogue Landlords and Property Agents to be made public so the UK Government outlining its intention to do so is a step in the right direction.

“It doesn’t currently make sense that the information is only made available to local authorities. Tenants, landlords and lettings agents can’t vet each other, and an open Database would also allow letting agents to use it when recruiting staff and allow professional bodies access for enforcement purposes.

“Furthermore, many letting agents also work as sales agents and are therefore regulated under the Estate Agents Act 1979. Consequently, a ban under the Act should constitute a Banning Order offence under the Housing and Planning Act 2016 and form part of a joined-up enforcement effort across the property sector.

“It is good that the UK Government have listened to Propertymark, and we are continuing to scrutinise the proposals to ensure that the plans to also reform the threshold of offences to be entered onto the Database are consistent with all forms of prosecution.”

Kindly shared by Propertymark

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