The government should do more to protect private renters, according to a new report from the cross-party Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) committee.
The committee welcomed the government’s renters’ rights reforms. But it said more action is needed to improve housing standards and protect vulnerable tenants.
The committee’s report, Housing conditions in the Private Rented Sector, calls for incentives to help landlords meet the new Decent Homes Standard before the 2035 deadline. It also wants tougher penalties for landlords who break the rules.
The committee said Awaab’s Law should be extended to the private rented sector from 2026. It wants legal deadlines for fixing serious hazards to apply across the sector by the end of 2028/29.
Committee chair Florence Eshalomi MP said the reforms could improve housing conditions. But she warned they must be backed by stronger enforcement.
She called for councils to receive enough funding and powers to enforce the new rules. She also said the planned Private Rented Sector Database should help tenants check whether landlords and homes meet the required standards.
Eshalomi said poor housing conditions are linked to the wider housing crisis. She urged the government to publish a long-term housing strategy to increase the supply of affordable and social housing.
The report said tenants still carry too much of the burden when challenging poor housing. Many must rely on the courts, councils or the ombudsman. The committee called for a review of whether councils have enough powers and resources to enforce standards.
It also warned that new minimum energy efficiency standards could fail without proper enforcement.
The committee wants the Private Rented Sector Database to include information on landlords, property conditions and enforcement action. It also wants tenants to be able to report concerns through the system.
The report backed wider use of selective licensing in areas with poor housing. It said ministers should remove barriers that stop councils using the schemes.
The committee also called for stronger protection for lower-income renters. It warned that excessive rent rises could become a form of “economic eviction”. It rejected rent controls.
Instead, it said the government should ensure the first-tier tribunal deals quickly with disputes over above-market rent increases.
The report also repeated calls for Local Housing Allowance to be restored to at least the 30th percentile of market rents. It said this would reduce the risk of homelessness and poor-quality housing.
Responding to the report, National Residential Landlords Association chief executive Ben Beadle said: “We welcome the committees’ recognition that most renters are satisfied with their homes, and the majority of landlords provide safe, decent and comfortable homes.
“The committee is right to argue that improving standards requires a mix of incentives to support landlords to meet the planned Decent Homes Standard sooner than 2035, whilst improving enforcement to root out rogue and criminal landlords that have no business operating within the sector.
“We are pleased that the Committee has taken heed of several of the NRLA’s recommendations on enforcement, including the need to better understand council capacity, improve transparency around local enforcement activity, and ensure the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Database helps responsible landlords to demonstrate compliance.
“That said, we fundamentally reject the idea that it should be easier for councils to introduce landlord licensing schemes. Licensing can be an effective tool when used sparingly and in a focused manner. Allowing local authorities carte blanche to apply it will serve only to duplicate the information councils will be able to obtain from a well-designed PRS Database.”
