John Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, responding to a government call for evidence on whether a new system of regulation for letting and management agents is needed, said:

“In the face of a housing crisis getting worse by the day, this is a feeble announcement. This isn’t even a commitment to act, it’s a commitment to ask some questions. After seven years of failure on housing, Ministers need to do much better than this.

“Rather than just asking whether renters and leaseholders need better protections, Ministers should act on Labour’s proposals to end the building of new leasehold homes, cap rises in ground rents, and back our plan for new consumer protections for private tenants including a control on rent rises, a ban on letting fees and new minimum standards.”