1 in 10 Landlords and Letting Agents Failing to Carry out Mandatory Gas Safety Checks

According to research carried out by Shelter in conjunction with British Gas, up to one in ten landlords and letting agents could be putting the lives of tenants at risk by failing to carry out the correct mandatory gas safety checks.

After surveying more than 4,000 private tenants in England, it was discovered that one in ten tenants said a check for the boiler to monitor risks of carbon monoxide leaks had not been carried out in over a year. According to the law, a gas safety certificate must be issued annually for each rented property. Such checks are designed to pick up on a range of risks including faulty boilers, gas leaks pilot lights burning the wrong colour, soot or discolouration around boilers and the potential for carbon monoxide poisoning.

Campbell Robb, Shelter's chief executive, commented:

"It's shocking to think that in thousands of households across the country there are accidents waiting to happen because a simple safety check has not taken place. For households with children this is an even bigger concern. Renters have a right to know that the property they are living in is safe."

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A Third of Councils are Considering Compulsory Landlord Licensing

Eight out of 10 councils expect their authorities to take a more proactive stance in relation to the private rented sector in future, according to research by the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) and the Electrical Safety Council, and nearly 95% think they have "an important role to play" in this sector.

It's unsurprising that councils are starting to engage more actively with the private rented sector. Besides the sheer scale of its growth – the most recent census, published by the Office for National Statistics, shows the number of private renters in England and Wales increased by 88% between 2001 and 2011 – the ability to discharge the homelessness duty through private sector accommodation, new energy efficiency responsibilities in the energy bill, and changes to the single room rate (which may drive demand for homes of multiple occupancies) are all conspiring to increase the significance of the sector for local authorities.

The 178 councils that responded to our survey identified several reasons for their position. Gas and electrical safety, fire safety and management standards emerged as the top concerns driving councils to take more action.

Phil Buckle, director general of the Electrical Safety Council, said: "Despite the fact that electrical accidents are the number one cause of domestic fires in Great Britain, most landlords are not legally required to have their electrics checked or provide their tenants with safety certificates – a requirement for gas certificates has been compulsory since 1998. With increasing numbers of people renting privately, it is imperative that proper regulations are in place to ensure their safety."

The findings come in the wake of the Newham council's launch of England's first council-wide, compulsory licensing scheme for private landlords. The scheme, which came into force in January 2013, covers about 40,000 private tenancies.

Our research shows that councils were interested in many different forms of engagement, including voluntary accreditation schemes and better training and support for private landlords. However, a third of council respondents said they would consider introducing compulsory licensing in their local area in an attempt to reduce health and safety risks in properties and to protect tenants from unscrupulous landlords. In response, Newham mayor Sir Robin Wales said: "We welcome these findings, which strongly support Newham's pioneering private property licensing scheme. Our scheme shows that Newham is leading the country when it comes to tackling bad landlords who flout the law.

"We want to ensure that private sector rented properties are well managed and meet a good standard. We also want to deal with the crime and antisocial behaviour that is sometimes associated with bad private sector rented housing. There are good landlords in Newham and we want to work with them. Unfortunately there are also some unscrupulous ones – which our licensing scheme is robustly tackling."

It is positive to see local authorities taking a more active interest in their private rented sector. The approach taken in different areas of the country will necessarily differ, depending on the local balance of housing stock and specific needs of the community. However, with more and more people turning to the private rented sector to meet their housing needs, it seems inevitable that this will become an increasing concern for many more local authorities in future.

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National Register of Private Landlords Considered by Labour

People found guilty of serious criminal behaviour could be banned from acting as landlords under plans to improve the quality of private rented housing published by Labour. The party is considering creating a national register of private landlords and, according to a policy review paper published on Tuesday, one proposal is for serious offenders to be struck off the register, and thereby prevented from renting to tenants.

The review received evidence that the private rented sector was blighted by "a small minority of criminal landlords who deliberately prey on the vulnerable". Councils have said that they are aware of almost 1,500 serial bad landlords. Around 3.6m households in England, or 16.5% of the total, live in private rented housing. They include 1.1m families with children.

Yet, according to government figures, 35% of privately-rented homes do not meet decent standards for repair, facilities, insulation, or heating. That compares with 22% of owner-occupied homes not meeting decent standards and 17% of social housing.

Labour said that nearly half a million families and more than 100,000 pensioners are among those living in "non-decent" private rented homes.

"The private rented sector has an important role to play in meeting housing need," said Jack Dromey, the shadow housing minister.

"But too many tenants are in poor and sometimes dangerous homes. That's why Labour has set out proposals to drive standards up and bad landlords out."

Labour believes that, as well as enabling criminals to be driven out of the industry, creating a national register of landlords would also help to ensure that landlords paid tax. HM Revenue & Customs believes that private landlords are evading tax worth more than £500m.

The party also said it wants to stamp out the use of "retaliatory eviction" against tenants who complain about the conditions of their property.

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Ten Lessons Landlords Should Learn about the Bedroom Tax

Shelter Cymru's Jennie Bibbings explains the best and worst ways in which housing providers have handled the bedroom tax

Lesson 1: Communicate with tenants

We have clients who have still not had any communication from their landlord about how many bedrooms they are considered to have and whether they are likely to be affected. The lack of information from their landlord, combined with the extensive media coverage of the bedroom tax, meant that our clients became extremely confused about their situation.

Many housing benefit teams are sending out letters detailing appeal rights. However, some are failing to include information about how to challenge decisions – which is crucial, since tenants have only one month to challenge from the date they are notified.

Lesson 2: Ensure data on property size matches tenancy agreements

Compiling accurate information on property size has been a challenge for some landlords. We have numerous clients whose landlords have told them they have more bedrooms than appear on their tenancy agreements. One social landlord in south-west Wales only compiled a list of property sizes in September 2012 and relied on the local authority to tell it which tenants would be affected.

Lesson 3: Housing benefit departments need to process discretionary housing payment applications quickly

When we rang to apply for discretionary housing payments for a disabled client living in an adapted home, the housing benefit officer specifically asked whether our client was disabled. The application was dealt with as a priority and the award was made within two weeks.

Unfortunately our clients have not had such efficient service everywhere. In some areas applications are taking six weeks or more to be processed. Although landlords are showing willingness to delay eviction proceedings until decisions have been made, the length of time is still leading to significantly more arrears being accrued.

Lesson 4: Be sensitive to tenants' needs – and don't make them feel bullied into leaving their accommodation

We have a client who is a tenant of a small housing association. Following the breakdown of his relationship, and his children growing up and leaving home, he is now the sole tenant of a three-bedroom house. He told us that he was strongly encouraged to sign a notice to quit at the landlord's office as he would not be able to manage the shortfall caused by bedroom tax.

Lesson 5: Now is not the time to start demanding the first month's rent in advance from housing benefit claimants

One large social landlord is now demanding the first month's rent in advance before accepting new tenants, even when a person is transferring to smaller accommodation due to the bedroom tax. This approach is a barrier to people on housing benefit being able to access social housing, and is going to prohibit tenants from downsizing.

Lesson 6: Extra help for tenants can make a big difference

Many landlords are employing additional staff and setting up assistance funds to help tenants manage the impact of the bedroom tax. Pembrokeshire Housing Association offers tenants up to £500 to cover moving costs or reduce arrears to allow them to move to accommodation more suited for them, while Powys county council offers up to £1,500 to assist older people that are under-occupying with moving costs.

Lesson 7: Exercise flexibility in allocations

We had a homeless client who was eight months pregnant and looking for accommodation in south-west Wales. She came out top of the list when she bid for a two-bedroom property. However, the landlord refused to allocate to her as, until the baby was born, she only qualified for a one-bedroom house. Before a formal challenge could be made, the landlord had already allocated the property to someone in a lower band.

Lesson 8: Ensure transfer policies do not prevent people from downsizing

Not all landlords have changed their transfer policies to allow people in arrears caused by the bedroom tax to downsize. Some of our clients are in a catch 22 situation with rising arrears but unable to downsize due to restrictive transfer policies.

Lesson 9: Housing benefit should not place onerous burdens of proof on claimants

In south-east Wales we have clients who are a disabled couple, living in an adapted property with one spare bedroom. Neither has the capacity to care for the other at night, so they have overnight carers for six nights a week. The local authority is requesting numerous pieces of evidence before they will accept that the couple need the extra room for a carer. This is despite the fact that they already have proof they meet the relevant disability living allowance and attendance allowance criteria.

Lesson 10: The courts may not be on your side

Our caseworkers have encountered a local district judge who is suggesting he may refuse possession where there are bedroom tax arrears, but instead may take other measures such as inviting the press and public into the court and using Human Rights Act legislation to deny possession. Landlords need to be aware that not all judges will look favourably on possession proceedings.

Click here to read the original article: "Ten Lessons Landlords Should Learn about the Bedroom Tax"

Private Rented Sector Considers Longer Term Tenancies

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has launched a survey of 100,000 landlords to gauge opinion on longer term tenancies in the private rented sector (PRS).

The housing charity Shelter is arguing for a new five-year fixed-term to be introduced for all tenancies in the PRS, with rent increases linked to inflation and tenants able to leave the contract at any point with two months’ notice for no apparent reason.

The RLA has complained that this is a privilege that would not be extended to the landlord and would adversely affect the tenant/landlord relationship.

Whilst the RLA says that longer tenancies should be used "where needed", it does not believe that such a model should be the default position. 

Richard Jones, the RLA’s policy director, said: “Whilst Shelter continues to suggest that landlords are actively looking for opportunities to throw their tenants out altogether, the reality is that just 9% of tenancies are ended by a landlord, showing that the majority much prefer to keep tenants on than face an empty property.

“Moreover, with the average length of private tenancies now reaching 20 months, it is clear that the current tenancy model already provides for longer term tenancies when they are needed for families.

“Whilst the RLA is now consulting on proposals that would achieve the right balance of rights between the landlord and tenant while maintaining the confidence of mortgage lenders, Shelter’s proposals would not work, not least given that many tenants, especially younger people, such as students or those who are eventually looking to buy a home of their own, seek a short term tenancy.”

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Government Plans to Turn Landlords into Immigration Officers are Crazy

Landlords are furious at having to deal with yet more red tape now that they will be responsible for checking the immigration status of their tenants.

Under proposed new rules announced in last week’s Queen’s Speech, landlords will now be held responsible for checking the immigration status of their tenants.

The Immigration Bill will require private landlords to support a crackdown on illegal immigrants by taking responsibility for checking the status of all of their tenants.

They will need to obtain copies of passports and relevant work visas before they begin a tenancy, and they could potentially be fined thousands of pounds if they are found to be housing illegal immigrants. As yet, it still isn’t clear if landlords will be expected to check these documents for existing tenants.

The Government is clearly moving into UKIP territory with its Immigration Bill, trying to demonstrate its willingness to tackle the thorny issue. But rather than dealing with immigration at the borders, the new tactic seems to include dragging employers and now landlords into the mix with its new proposals.

The plans relating to landlords have already been heavily criticised by many in the property and lettings sector for placing a huge burden on almost two million buy-to-let landlords and adding to the reams of red tape they already have to deal with.

Others – including Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper - have noted that the scheme will be unworkable because there isn’t a national register of landlords to begin with. So how will the Government even know who they all are?

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors claimed that the Government is expecting the property industry "to deliver its immigration policy", at the same time as refusing to introduce better laws to protect both tenants and landlords.

It also points out that many landlords are amateurs, operating without training or guidance. What they definitely aren’t are immigration officers, so how they will be expected to suss a forged work permit or passport from a real one is a mystery.

Will they be offered training by the Government? If they seek proof of status from tenants and they are given a forgery, will they be punished for not spotting it? Or will it be sufficient to have simply asked to see something?

Of course, the devil as always will be in the detail, and we don’t yet have that level of information on the specifics of the bill.

But what could be the impact of the measures?

The Government has also been warned that it must ensure the new rules do not inadvertently increase costs to renters, as increased red tape and regulatory burdens on landlords are so often passed on. Rents are already at very high levels and many tenants could not take an increase.

One obvious result, and something that has been already articulated by some landlords, is that they may play it safe by only letting properties to those who are UK-born citizens, which would potentially discriminate against some vulnerable sections of society.

The only possible benefit to landlords that I can see from the new rules is that the more onerous rules might help them spot unsuitable tenants in the first place, highlighting potential problems before they are taken on.

Of course, the majority of landlords already look into the backgrounds of their tenants, not least to ensure they have the means to pay, but also to check they have kept previous rented accommodation in a good state. But it does seem a bit much to expect them to check something that was previously missed at the border by trained immigration control officers.

It also seems unlikely (to me at least) that this measure will actually help to control immigration in any meaningful way. But of course it will add to the regulatory burden faced by landlords.

In addition it’s possible that the new rules will mean that the cost of landlord insurance will increase as a knock-on effect of the potential increased liability if landlords face a fine for housing illegal immigrants.

In an environment where landlords have more than enough Government policy to cope with, including Universal Credit, and selective licensing schemes, this is the last thing they need, especially when it is unclear if this will really have a tangible impact on immigration control anyway.

Click here to read the original article: "Government Plans to Turn Landlords into Immigration Officers are Crazy"

Renting in Wales: Concern over Cost of Tenancy Changes

Plans to change how social and private homes are rented in Wales have been outlined by the Welsh government.

Welsh Housing Minister Carl Sargeant said simpler tenancy agreements would make it easier for tenants and landlords to know their rights.

But a landlords' organisation warned the changes would significantly increase the costs to its members.

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) argued the extra money would be better spent on building homes.

Local authority-owned rented properties currently operate under secure tenancies which allow tenants to live in their properties indefinitely.

Private rented and housing association tenants, however, are subject to assured shorthold tenancies.

These give tenants the right to occupy a property for a fixed period of time, but at the end of this the landlord has the right to terminate the tenancy.

Under the proposals many different forms of rental contract would be replaced by just two.

Housing Association properties would be brought into line with local authority-owned homes - meaning they would both operate under the secure tenancy regime.

Private rented homes would be on a "standard contract", similar to the assured shorthold tenancy.

The plans are based on recommendations made in April by the Law Commission, the statutory body which reviews the law.

Mr Sargeant said the new framework would provide a "fairer, more transparent and flexible system" that "has benefits for tenants and landlords alike".

"It will also help people in situations of domestic violence and in dealing with the anti-social behaviour of some households," he said.

"These proposals will create a level playing field for all landlords and also provide a fairer deal for tenants, irrespective of who they rent their home from."

But the RLA believes the reforms will cause a significant rise in legal and administrative costs for landlords.

"The laudable intention of the government's proposals, namely simplification, are ones which we wholeheartedly share," said Douglas Haig, RLA director for Wales.

"In our view, tenure reform can be achieved in a less radical way and without the huge upheaval and expense involved for landlords, tenants and others involved in all sectors of rented housing including the need to re-learn and re-skill across the board as a result of a completely new system."

He added: "The millions that would be spent on the Welsh government's proposals are simply too high at a time when that money could be much better spent on building more homes."'Hugely disproportionate'

Shelter Cymru director John Puzey welcomed the proposals as "a really important step forward".

"Some of the law associated with tenure dates back hundreds of years so the proposals to simplify contracts and establish two clear forms of tenure will benefit tenants in both the private and social sectors.

"Almost a third of our casework comes from people who live in the private rented sector.

"This is a hugely disproportionate level of work given the size of the sector in Wales, but at base many of these problems are due to a lack of understanding about rights and duties by tenants and landlords alike," he added.

A three-month consultation has now begun with a bill due to be introduced in the assembly in 2015.

Click here to read the original article: "Renting in Wales: Concern over Cost of Tenancy Changes"

Remortgage Opportunities for Landlords to Save Money!

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If your buy-to-let mortgage is about to mature, this could be a good time for you to review your financial arrangements and save yourself money on your mortgage repayments. NetRent Mortgages has a free online buy-to-let mortgage finder which allows you to compare products from the whole of the market, including special deals that are not available on the high street.

We have a wide range of fixed and tracker rates available for landlords looking to remortgage an existing buy-to-let property, including some with great money-saving incentives such as free valuations and free legal fees!

Why not visit our website and see for yourself at www.netrentmortgages.co.uk, or you can telephone one of our helpful Support Team to discuss your individual requirements.

Shelter Says Government Should Regulate Letting Agents

Letting agents for private property should be regulated by the Scottish government, a leading housing charity has said.

Shelter Scotland said the sector was becoming filled with "cowboy" operators because agents needed no professional expertise or experience to set up.

Complaints to the property ombudsman have risen by 123% in five years.

The Scottish government said it would publish a strategy for the private rented sector by the end of the month.

Because of the slump in the private housing market and the general economic situation more people are renting their home rather than buying.

In the past 10 years the number of households renting privately in Scotland has almost doubled to 290,000.

And there has also been an increase in the number of letting agents to about 500.

Shelter said regulation was vital as the UK government's changes to Housing Benefit was likely to increase demand for rented accommodation.'Wild west territory'

But according to the charity's director, Graeme Brown, agents are unregulated, and complaints against them are increasing.

"They're letting properties that are in disrepair; they're claiming some properties are furnished when they're unfurnished," he said.

"Some of them are setting up business, taking deposits, closing down and setting up under a different name.

"These are cowboys. This is Wild West territory and we want the Scottish government to regulate this sector."

Stacey Gowran, 23, fell victim to a rogue letting agent.

She rented a flat in Inverclyde, described on the agent's website as furnished. But as she prepared to move in, she was in for a surprise.

"There was nothing in it, save a bloodstained mattress and a broken bed frame," she said.

"When I phoned them, they said I hadn't asked for it to be furnished - even though it was advertised as a fully-furnished flat.

"The roof wasn't secure or fit-for-purpose on the building, and it affected the people above me as well.

"The windows weren't watertight; everything was an absolute mess - there was mould growing on the ceilings from all the dampness."Trading standards

It took a threat of legal action before Stacey was able to regain her deposit and move out.

Stuart MacKenzie has also been the victim of a rogue letting agent, having put his flat in Glasgow up for rent after his job moved to Edinburgh.

Rent was paid late, repairs charged with no receipts and a new tenant given a lease without his agreement - when he was trying to sell.

And then the agent closed her business, leaving Stuart out of pocket by several hundred pounds. He agrees the sector needs regulation.

"I would certainly back Shelter Scotland's call for regulation," he said.

"The letting agent we used had all the materials, the cars, the folders, the branding.

"But at the end of the day, I have been to the police, to trading standards, but there's very little support out there.

"And it seems there's very little to actually regulate the actions of these people."'Structured standards'

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) welcomed Shelter's calls for tighter regulation in the private rented sector.

Rics director in Scotland, Sarah Speirs, said: "The Scottish government has taken welcome steps in introducing mandatory tenancy deposit schemes to protect individual's deposits, however, Rics agrees that there is room for further regulation.

"A structured set of professional standards for letting agents is still required to make the private rented sector a more dependable option for families and individuals.

"We recommend that until these regulations are in place tenants should use a letting agent that is a member of a professional organisation, such as RICS."

Shelter Scotland said the government must ensure letting agents were effectively regulated so all tenants and landlords get a fair deal.

A spokesman for the Scottish government said it was committed to improving the situation.

"That is why we clarified the law last year to make it clear that the charging of premium payments for entering into a private rented tenancy was not allowed, and also introduced the Tenancy Deposit Scheme to safeguard tenants deposit money," he said.

The government's strategy on the private rented sector is due to be published on 30 May.

Click here to read the original article: "Shelter Says Government Should Regulate Letting Agents"

Rise of Buy-To-Let 'Grandlords' as Pensioners Seek Extra Cash

Research commissioned by Simply Business showed that the number of older landlords had increased by 33pc since 2009, with a particularly large rise in the number of female pensioners renting out a property – up by 43pc since 2009.

Danny Silver, managing partner of the Villages Group, an "active living" resort for over-fifties in France, said: "Long gone are the days of final salary pensions and relying on a decent state pension once you hit retirement. Older people who have worked hard all their lives and want to retain a decent standard of living must find the extra funds themselves, but with living costs rising faster than salaries, not to mention falling annuity rates, this is easier said than done."

Belvoir, a national lettings agency, said it had seen a surge in older people becoming landlords in the past four years, with a third more people in their sixties on the books as landlords than four years ago.

Some of these "grandlords" have become buy-to-let investors by accident, owing to a more difficult financial climate than they had expected, Belvoir said. They had expected to sell their properties to finance their retirement, but with rents rising and property prices falling in many areas they had judged it more sensible to keep their property and rent it out.

Some pensioners have always planned to use rental income to finance their retirement. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation calculated in 2012 that pensioners needed £12,000 a year to be able to fully participate in retirement. Many people have not saved enough in their pensions to finance their retirement.

According to the National Association of Pension Funds, 48pc of all workers are planning to work beyond the state pension age because they simply cannot afford to retire. Figures from the government-funded Money Advice Service last week showed that more than four in 10 people were resigned to working as long as they could because they had not saved enough.

Click here to read the original article: "Rise of Buy-To-Let 'Grandlords' as Pensioners Seek Extra Cash"

Landlords Welcome Direct Payment Announcement

On the day the Government’s first flagship universal credit pilot scheme went live in Ashton-under-Lyne, a circular to all housing benefit staff revealed that automatic direct payments to landlords will now be allowed in the pathfinder areas.

The policy change was tucked away on the last page of an obscure circular published by the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP) yesterday. Universal credit expert and RLA trainer, Bill Irvine, spotted it and immediately informed the RLA.

The circular states, “Landlords can refer rent arrears cases to Universal Credit; those which are under 2 months rent will trigger Universal Credit to contact the claimant to discuss their non payment as part of the Personal Budgeting Support process, where as those with over 2 months arrears will be switched to direct rent payment automatically and relevant budgeting support activity arranged subsequently.”

The news that direct benefit payments to landlords will now be triggered automatically following two months of arrears represents a welcome change in policy by the Government, which had previously insisted that direct payments to landlords would only be allowed in exceptional circumstances and even then not automatically.

Richard Jones, policy director of the RLA, commented, “The RLA welcomes this new guidance to DWP staff, which represents a significant step-change in attitude by Government; and, for the first time publicly acknowledges that direct payments to landlords are a crucial component of any welfare reform process.

“However, Government promises of automatic direct payments do not yet extend to the national roll-out of universal credit later this year, and we are eager to ensure that it will apply when this happens. At the same time, the RLA will continue lobbying for a shorter time period in which automatic payments can be triggered, and for more details about the direct payments process. It is important for landlords to know that if tenants fall into arrears an immediate stop will placed on further payment of housing costs to the tenant until direct payments to the landlord have been established.

“We are very grateful to Bill Irvine for bringing this to our attention, and look forward to working with him on future RLA housing benefit policy work.”

Click here to read the original article: "Landlords Welcome Direct Payment Announcement"

Call to Improve Stability for Renting Families

Tenancy contracts must be improved to give children more stable homes and avoid disruption to their education, the housing charity Shelter says.

Shelter says one in 10 renting families in England has had to change their children's school due to a move.

Government figures show 3.8 million households in England were living in the private rented sector in 2011-12 - 17% of the total.

The National Landlords Association said it backed the call for stability.

In a survey of 4,327 adults living in the private-rental sector in England, Shelter found 44% thought their children would have a better childhood if they had more stability in their housing arrangements.

Less than 10% of those surveyed valued the freedom and flexibility renting gave them.

And 28% said their landlord or letting agent had failed to carry out repairs or deal with poor conditions in the past year.

The poll found nearly two-thirds of renting families (64%) would like to own their own home but do not think they will ever be able to afford it, and 43% expect to be living in rented accommodation for the next 10 years.

Shelter says a generation of children is growing up in "unstable, unaffordable, poor quality homes".'Constant upheaval'

The charity wants to see the introduction of a "stable rental contract" to give renters a better deal.

The contract would give renters five years in their home during which they could not be evicted without good reason and would have a guarantee the rent would rise by no more than inflation.
It would give renters the chance to decorate their homes and allow them to end the contract with two months' notice, while giving landlords the right to end the tenancy if they sold the property.

Currently, tenants have the right to live in a property that is safe and in good repair, live in the property undisturbed and be protected from unfair eviction and unfair rent.

Tenants also have the right to challenge excessively high charges and to have their deposit returned when the tenancy ends.

Chief executive Campbell Robb said: "For the vast majority of renting parents, renting isn't a lifestyle choice, yet for many it's putting their children's education, happiness and wellbeing in jeopardy.

"Unpredictable rents and short-term tenancies are not only failing to meet the needs of families, they're doing real damage to children's lives.

"No child should have to deal with constant upheaval, a disrupted education and an atmosphere where parents are constantly worried about paying the rent or having to find somewhere new to live.

"Making tenancy contracts more stable could improve the lives of children across the country by giving families more stability in their homes, and would give landlords a more predictable income.

"The nine million renters in this country deserve better. It's high time we faced up to the fact that renting is no longer a stepping stone, but the only long-term option available to rising numbers of families."'Fair private sector'

Chris Norris, head of policy at the National Landlords Association, said: "The NLA supports a fair and balanced private-rented sector which meets the needs of tenants and we support Shelter's call for stability in the home.

"Whilst the private-rented sector must provide the stability associated with home ownership, it is also important that landlords and tenants are able to negotiate terms that suit both parties.

"It is essential that landlords receive a level of rent to cover their business costs and we advise landlords to only increase costs between tenancies to ensure their rents are in line with market rates.

"At the NLA we promote professional standards and encourage all landlords to sustain good quality, enduring tenancies."

A spokesman for Department for Communities and Local Government said: "There is no legal barrier to long-term tenancies. "However, restrictive laws making this compulsory would mean fewer homes to rent, less choice and higher rents.

"With 75% of tenants moving out of choice, and only nine per cent of tenancies ended by the landlord, we are determined to do all we can to help tenants and landlords get a fair deal in a way that doesn't jeopardise that flexibility or strangle the industry in red tape."

Click here to read the original article: "Call to Improve Stability for Renting Families"