Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposals within the policy paper entitled A fairer private rented sector, published in June 2022, CP 693, on (a) smaller landlords and (b) trends in the number of properties owned by smaller landlords.

The Renters Reform Bill will deliver a package of reforms for the Private Rented Sector. We are conducting a detailed impact assessment which will be published in due course.

While the government is committed to helping people to own their own home, a healthy housing market is built upon the co-existence of a range of tenures, including the private rented sector, to meet individual needs and requirements The Private Rented Sector is an important part of the housing market for the 4.6 million households who live there.

The department monitors the market and uses a range of data to support our understanding of the Private Rented Sector. This includes department-commissioned research, such as the annual English Housing Survey and the English Private Landlord Survey. We have carried out extensive engagement with stakeholders and we will continue to monitor the impact of our reforms on the sector.