New Rugg Review welcomed
The RLA is welcoming the new Rugg Review into the state of the PRS announced today by the Nationwide Foundation.
The Rugg Review, the first since 2008, has seen the private rented sector changed almost beyond recognition, with more and more people living in rented homes.
The foundation, an independent charity, is now funding the University of York to conduct an up-to-date review of the sector in England.
The review is designed to be an independent and objective analysis, to establish broadly whether it responds adequately to the needs of its various tenants. It will particularly focus on:
a comprehensive analysis of the ‘state of play’
an assessment of the policy interventions currently impacting on the sector
proposing policy options which could contribute to more effective operation
The work will be undertaken by Julie Rugg and David Rhodes, authors of the ‘Rugg Review’ – full title, ‘The Private Rented Sector: Its Contribution and Potential’.
They have already visited the Residential Landlords Association for input, with further meetings planned. The association has a number of key proposals to feed into the review including suggestions from its alternative white paper which is currently under development.
Other interested stakeholders and industry experts will be invited to submit evidence to the review in due course. The completed work is expected to be published in summer 2018.
In addition to the review, the Nationwide Foundation has also funded another separate piece of research to be carried out by the same academic team.
This will assess the extent that the private rented sector meets the housing needs of vulnerable tenants and will be published alongside the main review.
Dr Julie Rugg, Principal Investigator at the Centre for Housing Policy, University of York says: “The last review showed that the private rented sector is made up of lots of different sub-markets, meeting different types of need.
“Since we completed the review, every one of those sub-markets has changed substantially. Without a better understanding of how the rented sector works, it’s unlikely that policy aimed at the sector will have the desired effect.”
RLA Chairman Alan Ward said: “Any independent report which helps us better understand the sector is most welcome.
“The 2008 review was a well-respected piece of work, but much has changed since then and the RLA looks forward to working further with the authors to share members’ experiences and explore the best way forward to make renting better for landlords and tenants alike.”
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