Rented Housing Database Needs To Deliver Meaningful Results Warn Landlords

November 29, 2024

PLANS for a database of private rented properties risk providing little help to tenants unless it includes meaningful information.

The warning from the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) comes as the Renters’ Rights Bill sets out to establish a database of all private rented properties and landlords in England.

Whilst ministers pledge that it will give assurances to tenants, no detail has been provided about the exact types of information that will be included on the database.

In the NRLA’s view, responsible landlords need to be able to demonstrate compliance with all their obligations, whilst tenants must be empowered to identify homes and landlords that meet all required standards.

At a minimum, gas and electricity safety certificates should be fully digitised so they can be easily uploaded onto the database, alongside already digitised Energy Performance Certificates. The database should also include a signed declaration by a landlord which confirms that a property meets the requirements of the planned decent homes standard for the sector.

Without this essential information, the database will fail to help tenants determine whether properties are safe and secure. This outcome will only undermine its intended purpose.

Rented Housing Database Needs To Deliver Meaningful Results Warn Landlords

“The database of private rented properties must go beyond a basic directory. It needs to provide tenants with clear, meaningful information designed to empower informed decisions on their next home. This will help tenants identify the vast majority of homes that are safe, secure and well-managed by responsible landlords.

“It would be a travesty if the database simply became a bureaucratic list of homes and landlords with little else besides.”

EAN Content

Content shared by this account is either news shared free by third parties or sponsored (paid for) content from third parties. Please be advised that links to third party websites are not endorsed by Estate Agent Networking - Please do your own research before committing to any third party business promoted on our website. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Mortgage affordability at tightest level since 2008

UK Finance has today published a new Lending Where We Live report, revealing sharp differences in mortgage affordability and buy‑to‑let returns across the UK. Key findings 723,000 house purchase mortgages advanced in 2025, up 17 per cent year-on-year Average borrower spends 21.3 per cent of gross income on repayments Significant regional differences: North Norfolk and Hillingdon top the list with borrowers spending over 25 per cent of gross income Seven…
Read More →
Breaking News

Did landlords frontload rent hikes ahead of the RRA?

The latest insight from Inventory Base suggests that, despite the incoming Renters’ Rights Act limiting rent increases to once per year, only around a quarter of landlords appeared to pre-empt the change by front-loading rent rises ahead of the 1st May deadline. This comes amid wider policy uncertainty in the rental sector, with the UK…
Read More →
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Rightmove to host live Q&A webinar on the Renters’ Rights Act

Rightmove is hosting a live Q&A webinar today to help agents better understand the Renters’ Rights Act and its practical implications as the Act takes effect. The Renters’ Rights Act: Live Q&A webinar will take place on Tuesday 5th May from 10:00am to 11:00am and will be available to watch via the Rightmove Hub. Over…
Read More →
Home and Living

War over bin blunders as legal expert reveals what you can actually do

Rows over rubbish are bubbling up, with fed-up homeowners losing patience over neighbours who refuse to bring their bins back in. Now, a legal expert has revealed the simple steps you can take before things spiral into a full-blown neighbourhood feud. Natalie Peacock of Rogers and Norton explained that while it might be tempting to…
Read More →
Breaking News

The UK’s best place to be a buy-to-let landlord in 2026 – and it isn’t London

Manchester tops the list with an average property price below the UK average and an annual rental return of 6.4%, beating all 32 London boroughs. Newcastle upon Tyne ranks second and is the only area in the study to deliver an annual return of more than 7%, while Blackpool places third. New research ranks 310…
Read More →
Home and Living

Don’t Let Dirty Windows Cost You a Sale

You’ve spent months preparing your home for sale. You’ve decluttered, repainted the hallway, replaced the kitchen handles, and had the carpets professionally cleaned. But have you looked at your windows lately, really looked at them? Dirty windows are one of the most overlooked deal-breakers in property sales. They’re also one of the easiest to fix.…
Read More →