WIREDGOV

The Property Ombudsman, Katrine Sporle CBE, has been confirmed as the latest speaker at our Future Renting North conference later this month.

The letting agent fee ban, deposits limits and the new fitness standard for rental properties will all be on the agenda as she addresses delegates on the range of new proposals the Government has put forward in a bid to support tenants.

Katrine will be delivering the session; “Tenants, or consumers – changing attitudes to private renting”,  together with ARLA Propertymark Policy Officer, Tim Douglas.

Katrine took up her role as The Property Ombudsman in 2015, and has also held the position of Chief Executive of the Planning Inspectorate for England and Wales for eight years.

Prior to this she spent nine years as the Chief Executive of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

Letting agent fee ban

The letting agent fee ban is an area in which the RLA has campaigned extensively for in the past. In our consultation response, the RLA raised concerns about the impact the ban will have on landlords and tenants, who could see their rents rise as a result.

Housing Court

The session will also take a look at systems that could soon follow, including a new Housing Court and a redress scheme.

The RLA is calling for a dedicated Housing Court, which will give landlords greater confidence that they would be able to access justice more quickly and less expensively when things go wrong.

You can more about the Housing Court proposal here.