UK government launches landlord feedback system

The UK government has today launched a new initiative which will allow tenants to post feedback on their landlords on a new online forum. There will also be a new hotline offering advice to tenants as well as a National Landlord Register which will allow prospective tenants to see how quickly their prospective landlords fix problems and how well their properties are maintained.

While there is no doubt that this move to increase the rights of tenants will be well received by the U.K.'s 3 million private let tenants there is some concern as to how it will pan out. The idea of making the system and the sector as transparent as possible is a sensible approach but would it be open to erroneous comments and potential libel issues?

Even though the vast majority of UK landlords operate well within the laws there are a number who seem to have scant regard for their legal obligations and indeed many tenants have reported threats of violence and other similar actions. It will be interesting to see how the new system operates and how beneficial it is to tenants and landlords alike. Whether it will need to be tweaked and revamped in the future, if issues arise, remains to be seen.