APPENDIX 2 AREAS FOR POSSIBLE CONSIDERATION UNDER FUTURE PRIVATE SECTOR HOUSING LEGISLATION
Suggestions for Private Sector Housing Bill etc
• Shelter Scotland
- security of tenure and homelessness
- tenancy deposits
- disrepair and energy efficiency
- consumer information and awareness
- management standards.
• CIH Scotland
- registration of letting agents
- registration of mobile homes being let to tenants
- registration of property managers
- creation of a Scottish Housing Tribunal for example to assist in tenancy deposit disputes, homelessness disputes, and failure to comply with landlord registration
- expanding the role of Scottish Housing Regulation to include the private rented sector
- opportunity for mortgage companies to provide owners with shared equity options before resorting to repossession action.
• NFOPP
A compulsory register for lettings agents, which meshes with a register of landlords. They would welcome the 'fit and proper' considerations being applied to lettings agents and see it as a helping drive up the training and qualifications of lettings agents over time.
The Department for Communities and Local Government for England and Wales is considering such proposals, and the NFOPP would like to see the Scottish government take a similar approach.
• Glasgow City Council
- Legal powers to deal with severe overcrowding which is by related persons or by persons who cannot be shown to be unrelated
- Registration of factors/property managers
- A community Right to Buy, specifically with respect to Second Stage Transfer of Glasgow Housing Association stock.
• Scottish Property Federation
Initiatives are currently being taken by the UK Government's Homes and Communities Agency to encourage greater build-to-let residential investment which have met with some positive public response from leading institutional investors such as Legal & General and Aviva. The SPF urges the Scottish Government to continue to support wider investment-related reforms by the UK Government, for example the disaggregation of SDLT on portfolios of Residential properties and improvements to the UKREIT regime.