New government scrap plans to regulate the private rented sector

Letting agent body Arla has voiced its disappointment at the government's scrapping of regulations that were set to be introduced into the sector.

The Labour government had planned to regulate landlords and letting agents more closely, but in Parliament this week housing minister Grant Shapps stated that this will no longer happen.

Ian Potter, operations manager at Arla, stated that the decision not to regulate letting agents could potentially hamper standards in the private rented sector.

He explained that at the moment, anybody can become a letting agent.

"Until that is changed via national regulation, unprofessional, unqualified and unethical operators will continue to exist, to the detriment and expense of consumers and the market as a whole," he added.

Mr Potter added that Arla has campaigned for the regulation of letting agents for many years.

Earlier this year, a survey by Young Group found that 93 per cent of landlords believe that letting agents should be subject to regulation.