Regulation should extend to landlords, expert says

News Category: Industry News

This article was brought to you by Rentman the premium property management system.

New regulation as outlined in Sir Colin Jones' housing market report for the government this week should be extended to landlords as well as letting agents, it has been suggested.

Introducing regulation for just letting agents and managing agents will not allow the government's objectives to be completed, according to buy-to-let advisory firm Smartlandlord.co.uk.

"Regulation for the sake of regulation is not good … The extent of regulation should be well-deliberated, however, and the value it delivers should be well understood," said Keshav Thukaram, managing director of the company.

National Association of Estate Agents chief executive Peter Bolton King yesterday welcomed greater regulation in the UK housing market, believing that it could reduce the potential for "abuse by unqualified cowboys".

Mr Thukaram agreed that light touch regulation would benefit all, but added that many landlords manage properties on their own,

He urged professional landlords to be more proactive in managing their portfolio - a trend which could lead to increased demand for property management software.

Find out more about letting agent software.