A lettings industry body says the government’s new Private Rental Sector database – coming later this year – must be open to entries from agents acting on behalf of landlords.

The database will be compulsory and will require landlords to pay a fee to be listed. It’s being trialled at the moment and is scheduled to be unveiled in the coming months.

It’s regarded as ‘phase two’ of the Renters Rights Act.

Now The Lettings Industry Council (TLIC) says that with over 50% of PRS properties in England let or managed by agents, the design of the database must therefore reflect the operational role agents already play in compliance, tenancy administration and landlord support.

A TLIC report on the issue, out this week, says: “Where authorised by the landlord, agents need to be able to populate information and upload documentation, through the landlord granting a managing agent access rights without unnecessary approval burdens.

“The platform should also not assume that all agents operate in the same way. 

“Agency structures vary greatly: from sole traders to large corporate organisations with hundreds of employees across multiple branches. Accordingly, different employees will have varying responsibilities in

their respective businesses.”

TLUC says that if access is limited too narrowly, a small number of staff could become responsible for managing very large volumes of data, which would increase compliance risk, particularly for national agencies managing thousands of properties.

The industry council says the database must also accommodate multi-agent instructions. 

Landlords may appoint several agents to market a property, but only the agent who secures the tenant will usually provide ongoing lettings or management services, and in some cases, the agent instructed to let the

property is not the same as the agent who manages the property long-term. 

The council report continues: “The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government should therefore give careful consideration to timing of required information. 

“The database should make clear what minimum property information must be provided before a property is marketed, and what can reasonably be completed once the appointed agent is confirmed and

the tenancy progresses.

“… As the appointed agent may not be known at marketing stage, the process should allow agents to help clients provide the necessary pre-marketing information simply and efficiently.”

TLIC’s report states that the database must be guided by six core principles:

• Clarity – clearly identify landlords, agents, and properties by adopting the Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) system;

• Flexibility – recognising the complex reality of legal ownership structures, such as companies, trusts and joint ownership arrangements;

• Intuitiveness – Making the process user-friendly and genuinely useful for all users;

• Access to compliance – providing tenants access to relevant compliance information to help decision-making act and safeguard against unsafe housing;

• Digital efficiency – Digitally integrating property safety records and compliance documents to avoid administrative delays and duplication of work;

• Proportionate implementation – taking steps to understand what operational realities are like for landlords and agents. Deploying the database to help, rather than hinder businesses.

Theresa Wallace, co-chair of TLIC says: “As it stands the government risks missing an opportunity to build a PRS database adapted to meet the fast-changing needs of the market. 

“The best way forward is for the government to adopt a collaborative, pragmatic approach to its introduction during the next stage of rental reform. 

“With phase two of the Renters Rights Act’s implementation rapidly approaching, now is the time for the government to consider how it can help agents and landlords as they plan their transition towards this new system.

“If the PRS database is to have any chance of success, the government has to take decisive steps which encourage effective engagement with the database on the part of stakeholders. 

“If they fail to take this approach, the database will only become an expensive waste of resource.”