COMMENT

THE private rented sector is a wild west, which at best costs a fortune for somewhere you cannot call a home, and at its worst is dangerously unsafe.

In fact, it’s so unregulated that, right now, the Government doesn’t actually know how many landlords are out there.

It means that for renters, there’s little guarantee that your home meets safety standards, or that your landlord won’t rip you off.

There’s no guarantee that you can find a suitable home at a fair, affordable rent or that you will be able to live there as long as you want.

Generation Rent is a not-forprofit company working with private renters to campaign for well-managed, secure and affordable homes.

Suffered

Every day we hear from renters who’ve suffered. The Government currently has a database of rogue landlords. But they say that only 14 entries have been included on it since it launched last year. Worst of all, tenants can’t even see if their landlord is on there.

Becoming a landlord is pretty easy. You don’t have to join any organisation, tell the council or have anyone check your property is safe before letting it out. Despite having to declare any rental income to the taxman, there is an estimated £600million of tax going missing.

That’s why Generation Rent is calling for a National Register of Landlords. The idea is pretty simple – a one-stop shop that holds information on all landlords across the country.

If you are looking for a new home, you can check whether your landlord is registered there and, if they aren’t, you should steer well clear. The register for the most part already exists. Landlords are required to protect tenants’ deposits in one of three schemes – that is a pretty good start.