The National Landlords Association (NLA) has welcomed the House of Commons Communities and Local Government Select Committee’s Report on the Private Rented Sector.

Richard Lambert, CEO of the National Landlords Association (NLA), said: “This is a really positive report. It takes the debate around the growth of the private-rented sector out of the 1970s into the 21st century. The Committee clearly understands how the rental market has developed and what it needs to mature, rejecting the pat responses of rent controls, increased tenure and simplistic solutions of importing ideas from other countries.

“Landlords must respond to the changing needs and demands of renters. The current tenancy legislation is more flexible than many realise, but the Committee is right to highlight that adapting from the accepted norms to use this flexibility will be a challenge requiring “a cultural change and removal of barriers, real and perceived”.

“The NLA endorses the call for better, simpler regulation and for more proactive enforcement from local authorities which targets those who fail to meet acceptable standards.

“The NLA also supports the Committee’s recommendations for a more comprehensive regulatory framework for letting agents, and we are pleased that its proposals reflect our argument that the requirements should mirror those already put in place by many agent representative bodies, such as UKALA.

“Overall, the Committee has brought forward a package of conclusions, recommendations and proposals which offer a fair balance to all and provide the opportunity for the industry at large to take the initiative”.