Proposal for New Feedback Website on Landlords

Latest landlord News by: Madalena Penny.

The private rented sector has been cited as the industry, which generates the most complaints, according to a report published last week by a consumer watchdog.

Consumer Focus conducted online research involving a sample of 2,000 people in January 2011, revealing that just over a quarter of renters had cause to complain in the past two years about issues pertaining to their experience in the private rented sector.  The group have called for a ‘website’ so that tenants can leave feedback on their landlords.

The report stated that almost nine in ten renters agree that a website to share experiences of landlords would help to make better decisions before signing a tenancy agreement.  In 2010, the then, housing minister, Jonathan Healey had planned to introduce a ‘trip advisor’ style website in the exact same manner as Consumer Focus suggest, but was scrapped by Grant Shapps under his new administration.  The Department of Communities and Local Government has made it clear that they want to deter red tape and bureaucracy and avoid barriers for landlords.

Unfortunately, a feedback website on landlords could easily be open to abuse.  A system of this nature could very well leave landlords at the mercy of tenants from hell.  It’s a two-sided sword and with the wrong intention could actually create barriers causing landlords to pull their properties from the private sector, thus reducing the number of available housing stock to rent on the market.

While it is understandable that a system should be put in place to protect tenants from rogue landlords and dishonest letting agents, a website of this nature would in the long-term result in instability in the sector.  If a landlord association was to create a website for feedback on tenants, no doubt there would be considerable outrage.

A call for an accreditation scheme to level the playing field appears to be the safest option for everyone all round.  Currently some local authorities are working with landlords providing them with schemes, leading to accreditation status and providing private landlords with tenants from the social sector waiting list.

As landlords need to apply reference checks on tenants, the tenants themselves could check with the local authority that landlords have reached the necessary quality mark achieved by accreditation.

As available housing stock in the private rented sector remains scarce, the balance that lies between tenant protection and landlord confidence needs to be addressed through a constructive system.