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Generation Rent calls for ban on insurance-backed deposit schemes
Ahead of tomorrow’s local and European elections, lobbying group Generation Rent has stepped up its attacks on letting agents and landlords.
It said they are “astonishingly unregulated”.
The group also published a proposed General Election “manifesto” for tenants, demanding the abolition of letting agent fees, calling them unclear and over-charged.
Generation Rent is also demanding the reform of tenancy deposit protection schemes, including a ban on insurance-based schemes – TDS and Mydeposits.
The manifesto also suggests that insurance-based schemes should protect deposits for the life of the tenancy rather than the landlord’s membership.
There was a meeting last Thursday between all three tenancy deposit schemes and Generation Rent – politely described as “constructive”, although the two insurance schemes might not consider the proposed ban falls under that category now.
In a section on professional management in its proposed manifesto, Generation Rent says that “landlord and letting agent behaviour has become more exploitative”.
Sebastian Klier, of Generation Rent, said: “The Government has no real idea of how many private landlords or agents there are, let alone what they are doing.
“The stories of unresponsive landlords, or agents charging rip-off fees, are now so numerous as to be considered normal to tenants, whose expectations of the conditions in which they will live and the value they will get for their money has plummeted.
“Anyone can be a landlord or agent – the laws are weak and enforcement of those laws more so. Given this is an industry providing people’s homes – the most basic form of human security – this has to change.”
Klier also said that property conditions for private tenants are the worst in any of the housing tenures.
The campaign group, headed by director Alex Hilton who unsuccessfully ran for Labour in the last general election, launched its manifesto consultation on its various proposals for the private rented sector.
The consultation, which runs until June 6, will form a “renters’ manifesto” for next year’s general election.
It includes a call for rent controls, longer tenancies and greater regulation, including a national register of landlords and licensing of letting agents.
The Residential Landlords Association accused the group of simply playing to people’s fears with inaccurate accusations about the private rented sector.
It said that the Government’s own figures showed rents have risen by less than inflation, and that only 9% of tenancies are ended by the landlord. It also said there were numerous pieces of legislation in place.
The proposed manifesto can be found through the links here:
http://www.generationrent.org/renters_manifesto_consultation
