Moves to tackle bad landlords

Private landlord registration scheme out for consultation

News, 12 July 2005

The Scottish Executive has launched a public consultation on new proposals to protect tenants from unscrupulous landlords.

Ministers want to make it an offence for anyone to rent out a property without first registering with their local authority.

Today's consultation paper focuses on detailed proposals developed by a working group representing local authorities, landlords, agents and consumer interests, with a view to bringing a scheme into force later this year under the Antisocial Behaviour Act.

Deputy Communities Minister Johann Lamont said that while most private landlords provide an excellent service for their tenants, a few do not.

She said: "Those who exploit poor or vulnerable tenants, or exacerbate problems with antisocial behaviour in communities, damage the reputation of private letting.

"Our scheme would allow local authorities to ensure that those who let out property are fit and proper people, but I am keen that a 'light touch' approach is adopted and that applicants are regarded as fit and proper unless there are grounds to suggest otherwise."

The Executive wants to introduce a single, online system for local authorities to use, which will allow applications to be handled in a consistent way and make the process as streamlined as possible.

The registration scheme would: assess whether landlords and agents are fit to manage in a proper manner; provide a list of properties let by or on behalf of private landlords; make it an offence to let out a private property without being registered; allow local authorities to stop rental income of unregistered landlords.

Alongside registration, the paper covers a further power for local authorities to use in combating antisocial behaviour. It will allow them to act against individual landlords who fail to use normal good practice to address antisocial behaviour by their tenants.

Houses used by religious orders, crofts, argricultural tenancies and certain categories of care regulated by the Care Commission will not be required to be registered.