New landlord database 'may be confusing'

A recently-proposed database which could see all landlords register their details on a government-run site could create more confusion in the sector, according to the Residential Landlords Association (RLA).

The group suggested that the proposal - which suggests a UK-wide database - may not be feasible as the four member countries have different rules governing the buy-to-let property sector.

Northern Ireland, for example, opposes the registry amid fears that law-abiding residential landlords would be targeted unfairly. By contrast, Scotland already has several such databases, which are monitored at the municipal government level.

A new survey conducted recently by ICM on behalf of Ovenu noted that with an increasing number of landlords competing for tenants amid the recession - the number of privately-rented properties in the UK rose from 2.7 million in 2007 to three million at the end of last year - it is important for all of them to "clean up their act".

Tenants surveyed by the group noted that mould, bad smells and dirty bathrooms are among the biggest turn-offs when considering rental property. ADNFCR-2353-ID-19312198-ADNFCR

13/08/2009 17:22

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