Money News
Housing and Planning Minister, Yvette Cooper, has announced a major review to improve the private rented sector.
With almost 2.6 million homes in England being rented from over half a million private landlords, an independent review will be examining what problems tenants and landlords face and what works well in the sector.
The government has already introduced a scheme to guarantee tenants' deposits, and boosted rights to demand repairs.
A Citizens Advice Bureau report last year found 1 in 5 tenants were dissatisfied with the quality of repairs carried out by their landlord and feared retaliatory action if they complained to authorities. On the other hand, landlords can face problems with poor tenants not paying rent and having anti-social behaviour.
The review - to be headed-up by Julie Rugg and David Rhodes from the Centre for Housing Policy at York University - will look at how the increasing number of buy to let accommodation and student tenants has impacted on the private rented sector, the quality of homes and who the users of the sector are.
It will also examine the impact of demographic and social change on the future demand and supply in the sector.
Rugg and Rhodes will start work immediately with a view to delivering their final report by the end of October.
25 January 2008 © Moneyextra.com
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