The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has revealed that it will shortly choose which local authority will be the ‘lead’ for regulation of the lettings sector. 

In a newsletter sent out over the Christmas holiday, it was announced the chosen authority would be named in February 2019.

Having a new lead enforcement authority – already known as the LEA in government circles – was contained in the Tenant Fees Bill which next month goes for its Third Reading in the Lords.

The idea was first mooted in the earliest days of the Bill, in 2017.

This lead role can be undertaken by a local trading standards department and bidding to take on the role of LEA has been underway for some weeks, with a selection panel taking place in February.

This follows a similar model to the Trading Standards Estate Agency Team which was decided some years ago to have Powys council’s trading standards division as its base.