RICS calls for PRS agent regulation

The RICS has called on the government to regulate property agents in the private rented sector. It has asked the government to adopt standards recommended by the Regulation of Property Agents working group requiring private landlords to meet minimum standards. These call for accreditation of practitioners and compulsory continuous professional development. It has supported proposals to abolish the Section 21 no-fault evictions legislation but urged the government to streamline legal processes for repossession using best practices from Scotland. RICS said the government should implement a code of practice to immediately bring sector standards into place. It is developing its own code of practice to be released in autumn this year. The group said this should be put into action while waiting for a new regulator and standards to be established by ROPA. Tamara Hooper, RICS policy manager, said: “The government needs to ensure the sector is effectively governed, reflecting the requirements of both landlords and tenants and the needs for standards and supply. “Domestic issues such as housing, which handle the basic human right of shelter, are too important to be lost in the understandable current focus around the country’s departure from the EU.” Last month a government survey found a quarter of PRS stock does not meet the Decent Homes Standard of repair, comfort and available facilities. Almost one in six private rental homes reported at least one hazard under the housing health and safety rating. The demands come as key figures in the professional PRS sector have criticised the government’s proposed changes to tenant evictions, lambasting them as a “vote grabber”, based on thinking that is “nearly half a century old”. They have called for greater government engagement with the private sector, open-ended tenancies reflecting Scotland’s policy and public funding for PRS policing. To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@egi.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or @estatesgazette