The LGA has voiced worries that councils will likely lose qualified and experienced staff to national regulators (such as the health and safety executive for example). The concerns were expressed in the LGA's response to the NAO's report "Regulating After EU Exit" where the NAO referenced workload capacity and consequent recruitment issues for UK national regulators taking over functions previously carried out at EU level.

Hammersmith & Fulham council's new selective and additional licence schemes are set to commence on 5th June this year. The designated area of the current selective licence scheme, which is about to end just before the new scheme starts, has been reduced from 128 streets in the borough to just 24 streets (the council provides a list of these 24 streets on its webpage).

Southwark council has successfully prosecuted the landlord of a block of flats in the borough where 12 tenants had been crammed into space meant for half that number. The block had planning permission for 6 flats but the landlord made 7 flats out of the available space and 3 of them had "unauthorised" second bedrooms which further reduced the living space. The size of 6 of the flats was below minimum standards and 5 had no dedicated storage space.

The secretary of state at the DLUHC, Michael Gove MP, has written to the financial conduct authority saying "It is neither fair nor decent that innocent leaseholders should be landed with bills they cannot afford as a result of problems they did not cause.".

Published for financially vulnerable people in receipt of benefits the DWP's "Introduction to Budgeting Loans" is useful for tenants living in the private rented sector who wish to apply for a covering loan via their benefits to pay for essentials.

The Govt's Household Support Fund designed to help financially vulnerable households with funding for essentials such as food, rent, utilities and furniture has been unavailable to applicants in some areas of the country after some Local Authorities "ran out of money.".

In a study carried out by EDF in partnership with property data platform, Sprift, it's been found that out of 21 million homes studied in England and Wales, more than half only had insulation that met the standards of the mid 1970s or older and less than 10% had an "insulation age" of 2002 or younger.

Perhaps in response to the open letter sent by charities to the Sec' of State for Work and Pensions calling for more safeguarding and support for vulnerable people being migrated onto universal credit, the Govt has published guidance for those who are helping/supporting people who need help with their benefits claim.

With new rental reform legislation in the pipeline and at least 36 pieces of current legislation and associated regulations to cope with as well as, in some areas, local authority selective licensing conditions and associated fees it can seem for private landlords as if they are under the cosh on a permanent basis. But what’s the reality, and are private landlords, as a class, “hard done by”?

Research from price comparison website comparethemarket reportedly shows that many renters have stopped their home contents insurance as part of their money saving strategy for dealing with the current cost of living crisis.