Committee publication · Correspondence · 17 June 2026
Letter from the National Residential Landlords Association to the Chair dated 19 November 2025 concerning further points on Housing Conditions in England
From: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Inquiry: Housing Conditions in England
Summary
The National Residential Landlords Association follows up on evidence given to the HCLG Committee's housing conditions inquiry. The NRLA raises three concerns: selective licensing should not duplicate the new national private rented sector database; the Government's energy efficiency cost cap of £15,000 risks regional inequality and should be graduated by house values (proposing £7,000 initial threshold); and enforcement against rogue landlords remains weak, requiring resource assessments, annual transparency reporting, and a new Chief Environmental Health Officer role.
Key findings
- NRLA welcomes the Renters' Rights Act database but warns councils risk duplication processing landlord information across two systems, diverting resources from enforcement action.
- 79% of private rented dwellings already meet the Decent Homes Standard; NRLA supports mandatory standards but opposes the £15,000 energy efficiency cost cap as ungraduated, arguing it disproportionately burdens lower-value regional markets like Burnley (average £126,000 house price vs Kensington and Chelsea at £1.3m).
- NRLA proposes a graduated cost cap linked to house values starting at £7,000 and tax deductibility for energy efficiency investments, citing precedent from Citizens Advice, E3G, and Independent Age.
- Enforcement data reveals critical gaps: less than half of fines collected; 49% of councils issued no civil penalties; only one-third of renter complaints triggered HHSRS inspections; just 49 names listed on Rogue Landlords database since 2018.
- NRLA calls for full resource assessment of council enforcement capacity, mandatory annual transparency reporting on enforcement activity, and establishment of a national Chief Environmental Health Officer post.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
National Residential Landlords Association, Florence Eshalomi MP, Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, Local Government Association, Citizens Advice, E3G, Independent Age
Notable line
“Without a graduated approach, there is a very real risk of exacerbating a north-south divide, placing a disproportionately higher financial burden on landlords in lower-value areas.”
Key Quotes
“We do not, and never will, provide any excuse for landlords failing to provide safe housing, whether that be on costs grounds or any other reason.”
“It is vital that any cost cap reflects regional variations in house prices and rental values across the country.”
“It is vital to avoid falling into the trap that simply changing laws or regulations is job done.”
“This is not sufficient to deal with the existing numbers of tenant complaints.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗