The Guardian says the government is committed to making a datebase of rogue letting agents and landlords available to tenants.
The newspaper quotes a source from the Prime Minister’s office saying Theresa May has personally backed the move, which may be formally announced in Monday’s Budget.
ARLA Propertymark and some other bodies, including Shelter, have campaigned for this, saying the database will be pointless unless tenants, employers and professional bodies can check entries.
The database has been under fire this week amid reports that no individuals have been added, six months after it was established.
David Cox, chief executive of ARLA, says: “[The] announcement is a triumph for the industry. Hiding this essential information is a prime example of the government failing to see unintended consequences of a vital policy. For this reason we have branded the database ‘truly ridiculous’ up until now. ARLA Propertymark is delighted that government have finally listened to what the industry has been saying since it was put into the Housing and Planning Bill nearly three years ago. We hope the database will now fulfil the objective of professionalising the sector, which we all wanted it to.”