Recommendation 24

The Department has made some improvements to the private rented sector in the past ten years. This includes banning unnecessary charges through the Tenant Fees Act 46 Q 90 47 Qq 91, 93 48 Q 65 49 Qq 92, 93; C&AG’s Report, para 2.14 50 C&AG’s Report, para 19 51 C&AG’s Report, para 2.14 52 Qq 1,3,9 53 C&AG’s Report, para 2.14 54 C&AG’s Report, para 2.17 55 Qq 94–98 14 Regulation of private renting and deposit protection schemes, and introducing a mandatory redress scheme for letting agency work.56 However, its interventions have been piecemeal and created a complex and fragmented system of regulation. Due to the Department’s lack of robust data, it does not have a good understanding of the impact of these changes on both landlords and tenants.57