Q&A with Eddie Hooker: how will the proposed ‘property portal’ work?
In his second Q&A with Eddie Hooker following the Queen’s Speech, property writer and editor of LandlordZONE, Nigel Lewis, asks Eddie how the proposed property portal would work and who would run it.
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The Government is being tight-lipped about what its new portal for private rented sector properties in England will look like, but Hamilton Fraser CEO, Eddie Hooker, reckons he has a better idea than most people what the new initiative will look and feel like for landlords.
For starters, there are some clues in the wording within the short description released alongside the speech.
It said Ministers plan to introduce ‘a new property portal to help landlords understand their obligations and give tenants performance information to hold their landlord to account.’
“That’s not a property portal in the traditional sense, but a landlord register by the backdoor,” he says.
“In other words, if you are a landlord putting all of your properties onto a national database, then your identity and address will be included, so ownership will be completely transparent.
“Once the Government knows who the nation’s landlords are, they can then start educating them and pushing information towards them about their responsibilities, and give tenants and local authorities access to that information. That is what I mean by ‘landlord registration through the back door’.”
Although many landlords may be suspicious of this initiative, Eddie is keen to look on the positive side. This includes how having access to more details about properties and their landlords will give tenants much more information to make an informed choice about a tenancy, and the areas around the property.
“On the other hand, I can see that it might worry landlords to reveal a lot more information about themselves and their properties than they do now – on a national basis,” he says.
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Who will run it?
Eddie believes the ‘portal’ will be run by a single provider, but it won’t be interactive and offer Trustpilot-style reviews, or include enforcement powers to help police landlords, as some have suggested.
“But my view is that it may include giving access to, and input from, redress schemes, ombudsmen, government agencies, and local councils,” he says.
“I don’t think this English portal will go as far as Wales and Scotland, where landlords can be ejected from each registration scheme and therefore be prevented from operating as landlords legally.
“Property owners will just put their property details on the portal, identify the real landlord and property manager, and therefore give tenants more information when making a rental decision.”
Watch the full interview with Eddie Hooker above or on our YouTube channel to learn more analysis on what the future of the private rented sector could look like.
Protect your deposit today
If you have taken a cash deposit, you must protect it in a government authorised scheme within 30 calendar days
Author – Nigel Lewis, property writer and editor, LandlordZONE
Nigel Lewis is an award-winning property journalist and editor with a 28-year track record in national newspapers, online and in consumer magazines and trade media.
With 21 years spent covering property, including publishing a monthly magazine linked to the Channel 4 property show, Location Location Location and as property editor at the Daily Mail, Nigel has for the past two years been editor in chief at the UK’s leading landlord website, LandlordZONE, providing hot off the press property news and insights for the rental sector.
Acquired by the Hamilton Fraser Group in 2018 but maintaining its editorial independence, LandlordZONE has become one of the most visited landlord websites in the UK.