Matthew Pennycook
MP for Greenwich and Woolwich · Labour · United Kingdom
“The Government recognise the impact that persistent antisocial behaviour can have. I very much agree with both the spirit and the letter of what the shadow Minister has just said. Our inboxes are full of cases of antisocial behaviour, which absolutely blights the lives of individuals and, in some cases, entire communities.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Our ambitions to deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable house building in a generation will benefit from the Bill, but they are not entirely dependent on this one piece of legislation. The supply statistics speak for themselves. Let me give the statistics from 2024-25.”
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“New clause 6, tabled by the hon. Member for Taunton and Wellington, seeks to ensure that at least 10% of new social housing dwellings meet the M4(3) wheelchair-accessible standard in the building regulations. I very much commend where he is coming from with the new clause.”
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“As the hon. Gentleman knows, because we have had this debate many times, to date we have not set a national social and affordable housing target.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I welcome that clarification. I was going to say that part O does not prohibit any form of active cooling where designers can demonstrate that it is appropriate. As I say, part O encourages passive design measures before relying on mechanical systems.”
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“They did consult, very late in the day, on a UK connection test to determine access to social housing. The majority of respondents to that consultation did not agree with the introduction of such a test, and feedback highlighted significant concerns about its feasibility and the cost of implementation. This is really important.”
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“I thank the hon. Gentleman for speaking to the new clause, which stands in the name of the hon. Member for St Ives. As Committee members know, there are already several routes for social housing tenants to access home ownership, including the recently announced Your First Home scheme. But those routes must be balanced with the need to protect social housing stock and to stop homes from being sold at an unsustainable rate. Although the new clause includes provisions intended to ensure that homes remain within an affordable housing system, it would nevertheless, in our view, create a new route for social housing to move from rented tenure into owner occupation.”
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“Parliament legislated for a national registration scheme for short-term lets in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, and we remain committed to implementing that scheme as soon as is practicable. The Government have also abolished the furnished holiday lettings tax regime and are continuing to consider whether further measures may be needed to help local authorities to respond to local housing pressures related to excessive concentrations of short-term lets. In the light of that ongoing work, and given the Government’s established approach to fiscal devolution and local decision making, we cannot support the new clause. I hope that the hon. Member for Taunton and Wellington will consider withdrawing it.”
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“The new clause is premised on the idea that revenues associated with holiday lets should be earmarked for social housing projects and related purposes. That is not the Government’s approach. Business rates revenues are not ringfenced for specific spending programmes; they are available to support local priorities. Likewise, the overnight visitor levy is intended to support local economic growth and strengthen local areas by giving strategic authorities greater control over how locally raised revenues are invested across a range of local priorities. Ringfencing those revenues for a particular purpose would cut across the Government’s approach to fiscal devolution and local decision making. The Government are already taking action in this area.”
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“I thank the hon. Gentleman for speaking to the new clause, which was tabled by the hon. Member for St Ives, and for highlighting the housing pressures experienced in a number of tourist areas. It is worth saying that those pressures affect not only coastal and rural areas, but urban areas in London, York and other places around the country. The Government recognise that high concentrations of holiday lets can affect the availability and affordability of housing for local people and can contribute to wider pressures on local communities. However, we do not believe that the new clause is necessary. The Government already support the delivery of social and affordable housing through established funding programmes, many of which we have discussed throughout the Committee’s proceedings.”
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“I thank the shadow Minister for his well wishes and for speaking to new clauses 25 and 26. As he says, new clause 25 would require the Secretary of State to undertake a review of the replacement of social housing stock and to consider the merits of introducing a statutory one-for-one replacement requirement. The core aim of the right-to-buy measures in the Bill is to prevent social homes being sold off without being replaced. Reforming the right to buy is central to that objective. If the shadow Minister reads the impact assessment, he will see clearly that it sets out the move from the existing baseline, before the changes the Government are making both in this Bill and outside it, to where we want to get to, which is a net gain of 18,000 social rented homes, over the 10-year period from 2026 to 2036.”
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“Our priority is therefore to implement these reforms rather than commission a further statutory review.”
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“I am struggling to understand the hon. Gentleman’s point. It will vary in each instance, will it not? There is a well-understood measurement for the loss of social homes from the sector; the shadow Minister cited statistics on that. The Government and the impact assessment are clear that, as a result of the Bill and the other measures we are taking over a 10-year period, we will go from a net loss of 26,000 social homes to a net gain of 18,000. That is the difference that the Bill will make. We have also taken significant steps to support local authorities to replace homes sold, such as by allowing them to keep 100% of their right-to-buy receipts and giving them greater flexibility as to how to spend them. Our changes to discounts further ensure that councils keep a larger share of the receipts.”
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“It is worth saying that previous Conservative Governments advocated for one-for-one replacement and did not achieve it, precisely because the finances do not add up. As my hon. Friend the Member for Cities of London and Westminster says, on average it takes the sale of three homes to replace one; it certainly does in my own London borough. Our proposition is very simple: we do not want these homes leaving the sector at the current rate. Yes, they may be secure tenancies in many cases, but they will be made available for future tenants in due course, and we will build more at the same time.”
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“That is why the social and affordable homes programme will continue to support regeneration schemes that provide a net increase in social housing, and why the programme will last for 10 years, allowing for the longer timeline that regeneration typically requires. We are also committed to improving existing social homes. As members of the Committee will be aware, we have published an updated decent homes standard, which providers must meet by 2035, and new minimum energy efficiency standards, which they must meet by 2030. For those reasons, we do not think this new clause is required, and I ask the shadow Minister kindly to withdraw it.”
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“As the shadow Minister has outlined, new clause 27 would require the Government to produce proposals within 12 months of the passing of the Act to support the regeneration of existing social housing estates. Let me make it very clear that we recognise the role that regeneration can play in the development of new or improved social homes that best fit the needs of their communities. I can think of many estate regeneration projects across London that are both very effective and hugely well supported, having been taken forward to resident ballots; the Brookhill estate regeneration in Woolwich, in my constituency, is a good example.”
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“Briefly—because this point is worth picking up—the reason so many larger social homes are not available is that they are precisely the homes that have been sold off, in most cases in the first instance, under the right to buy.”
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“Finally, just last week we published the first piece of advice from the supported housing advisory panel, which was established under that Act. This is a really important area of policy. On the pressures around supported housing and the misuse of exempt supported accommodation—the west midlands is a particular hotspot for some poor practice in the sector, for example, and I know hon. Members want to see it addressed—we have already taken action in a number of ways. I hope that that reassures hon. Members that this Government are taking the necessary steps to address the issues around supported housing. On that basis, I kindly ask the shadow Minister not to press the new clauses to a Division.”
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“We recognise the crucial role of supported housing in enabling vulnerable people to live independently. I note and commend the efforts of the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman) in introducing the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, which introduced a duty on local housing authorities to produce local supported housing strategies, including setting out their approach to the issues raised in new clause 28, based on a detailed understanding of local supply and demand. In 2024, we published research on supported housing supply and demand nationally. Earlier this year, we published guidance for local authorities on developing their supported housing strategies. Earlier this month, we published a consultation on draft regulations to implement the licensing regime set out in the 2023 Act.”
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“I will not go into detail; he knows that local authorities are responsible for the local allocations framework within the national structure. New clause 44 seeks to understand how social housing is being used by requiring the publication of a national audit of social housing stock. Again, although I recognise the intent of the new clause, the Government do not believe that it is necessary. Substantial data is already published on the condition and use of social housing, including through the English housing survey and local authority housing statistics, which cover many of the issues raised in the new clause. The new clause would also duplicate the ongoing stock management review. New clause 28 would introduce a requirement for the Secretary of State to publish a strategy on supported housing.”
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“The Government are already reviewing how effectively existing homes are managed and how tenant mobility and stock use could be improved. That work is under way and is considering many of the issues raised in new clauses 46 and 56, including voids, under-occupation, right-sizing, mutual exchange and tenancy fraud. We expect the review to report shortly. We do not believe that it would be right to legislate for a strategy and permanent reporting framework before the evidence from the review has been fully considered. I can guarantee the hon. Member for Broxbourne that, in considering the research findings carefully and deciding what further action might be proportionate in this area, I will reflect on the points that he made.”
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“The new clauses in this group all focus on the important issue of the effective management of existing social housing. New clauses 46 and 56 would require the Secretary of State, within 12 months of Royal Assent, to publish and lay before Parliament a national strategy for improving the management and use of social housing stock. New clause 56 would also require every local housing authority and registered provider to publish prescribed stock management information each year, with the Secretary of State reporting annually on performance. On the point of principle—I say this partly in response to the hon. Member for Broxbourne—we absolutely believe that more can be done to optimise the efficient use of social housing stock.”
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“New clause 31 would go further, requiring additional preference for applicants with a local connection, without making that preference dependent on the urgency of their housing need. We do not believe that would strike the right balance. It could disadvantage households with higher needs who must move to another area—for example, to reach a place of safety or obtain essential support. A connection to an area should not, in itself, be treated as evidence of greater housing need.”
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“The Government recognise the importance of enabling people to remain close to their families, their employment and the communities in which they have built their lives. Local connection can have a legitimate role in deciding how social housing is allocated, but local housing authorities in England already have powers to take local connection into account when determining priorities between applicants within the statutory reasonable preference categories. It is worth pointing out that 89% of councils have a local connection or residency test in place to determine who qualifies for social housing in their area. The existing framework is therefore already working to allow local authorities to set local connection tests, in consideration of housing need and the relevant circumstances in their local area.”
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“Our approach is to maintain a framework that recognises local connection while protecting people in housing need and allowing local housing authorities to respond fairly to individual circumstances. Our review of statutory allocations guidance provides an opportunity to reinforce those expectations, rather than introduce the blanket requirement proposed in the new clause. The new clause would also change the social housing allocations framework in Wales. Housing is a devolved matter, so consultation with the Welsh Government would be required before taking forward changes of this kind. For those reasons, I respectfully ask the shadow Minister to withdraw the new clause.”
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“My hon. Friend is absolutely right. As ever, we benefit from his considerable experience in local government. That is the point: local housing authorities should retain flexibility to balance priority and local connection within the statutory framework. I recognise the intention, as set out by the shadow Minister, to ensure that members of the armed forces are not disadvantaged because their service has interrupted their local connection. There are already important protections in place in England. Serving members and all former members of the regular armed forces are exempt from local connection tests when councils determine who qualifies for social housing, regardless of when they last served. We are extending that protection through the Bill so that it also applies when veterans seek homelessness assistance.”
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“The impact of migration on social housing was another issue raised during the Bill’s passage through the other place. It is really important to say that demand for social housing comes from a multitude of factors, including economic conditions and a range of Government policies, so a yearly assessment would not be proportionate. It is artificial and potentially misleading to seek to easily, neatly and reliably separate the impact of net migration from other factors. Any increase in any one year of social housing lettings to migrants may not be directly due to the net migration figures. For all the reasons that I have given, we cannot support these new clauses. I hope that the shadow Minister will withdraw the motion, although I suspect that he will not. We are more than happy to take a Division on the issue.”
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“On new clause 37, as set out in the other place, the Secretary of State has powers to issue statutory guidance on social housing allocations, to which local authorities must have regard. Local housing authorities can already take account of whether applicants are foreign public office holders, including their financial circumstances. Any need for further guidance on public office holders and overseas assets should be considered within the existing allocations framework rather than through a separate legislative provision. As I have said on a couple of occasions, we are already reviewing the statutory guidance on social housing allocations, providing an opportunity to consider whether any further clarification is needed on this issue. I turn to new clause 43.”
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“They did consult, very late in the day, on a UK connection test to determine access to social housing. The majority of respondents to that consultation did not agree with the introduction of such a test, and feedback highlighted significant concerns about its feasibility and the cost of implementation. This is really important. Even in practical terms, respondents were clear that such a test would increase homelessness pressures and temporary accommodation costs for local authorities. This Government set out their response to the previous Government’s consultation on changes to social housing allocation tests on 2 September 2024. The conclusion set out in that response remains our position. We do not believe that the new clause is necessary or workable, for the reasons that I have outlined, and we cannot support it.”
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“Where non-UK nationals are eligible for social housing, they will have their housing needs considered on the same basis as other eligible applicants, in accordance with the local authority’s housing allocation scheme. In addition, as my ministerial colleague Baroness Taylor of Stevenage set out on Report in the other place, under the withdrawal agreement—the agreement negotiated and signed by the previous Conservative Government—the UK must treat EU citizens with settled status on the same basis as UK citizens. New clause 32 would cut across that obligation and put us in breach of the withdrawal agreement that the official Opposition negotiated and signed. I do not think that they have thought any of this through. The previous Government oversaw the current arrangements for 14 years.”
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“That 11% included European nationals, such as Irish nationals, who made up 4% of that, and 8% was composed of people with nationalities from outside the European economic area. That was broadly the same as the previous year. The really important point, which a couple of my hon. Friends have made, is that even households where the lead tenant is not a UK national can include UK nationals. It is not the case that every household in a social home is composed entirely of either UK nationals or non-UK nationals. A lead tenant could be an Irish citizen married to a British citizen; that is the type of family that the new clause would affect.”
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“Friend the Member for Ealing Southall rightly made the point that eligibility for social housing is already tightly controlled. If a person’s visa means that they cannot access state benefits or local authority housing assistance, they are not eligible for an allocation of social housing and they cannot join a social housing waiting list. My hon. Friend the Member for Barking rightly made the point that the vast majority of non-UK nationals are not eligible, as most visas do not grant recourse to public funds. Those arriving in the UK on skills, work or student visas, for example, are not eligible, nor are those who arrive in the country illegally with no leave to remain. In 2024-25, 89% of lead tenants in new social lettings were UK nationals, the implication being that 11% were not.”
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“New clause 32, as we have heard, aims to restrict access to social housing to UK citizens. It is my birthday, so I am trying to be as generous as I possibly can, but whether deliberately or inadvertently, the new clause would sow division. It is divisive. The hon. Member for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich alluded to the real reasons for that: if not for the threat of Reform on the right of the Conservative party, the Opposition would not be making arguments in favour of this new clause today. After all, the system that we on the Government Benches are defending is the system that they presided over for 14 years in government and did not change. It is really important that we have this debate on the basis of the facts and a proper consideration of what the implications of the new clause would be. My hon.”
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“Also, the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 has shortened the notice period for the mandatory antisocial behaviour eviction ground and, once that is implemented in the social rented sector, landlords will be able to make a claim to the court faster in cases of serious antisocial behaviour. In that context, much of what the new clause seeks to achieve duplicates existing powers and regulatory requirements. On that basis, I hope that I have reassured the shadow Minister and, respectfully, I hope that he will withdraw it.”
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“Community protection notices are designed to provide a flexible and proportionate response to persistent antisocial behaviour. Where a social landlord has been designated by the relevant local authority, it may issue a notice itself. However, linking every community protection notice to a mandatory review would reduce local discretion and add undue administrative burdens on landlords. The Crime and Policing Act 2026 has strengthened the powers available to the police and other agencies. That includes an increase in the maximum fixed penalty for breaching a community protection notice from £100 to £500 and stronger measures to tackle persistent offenders.”
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“The Government recognise the impact that persistent antisocial behaviour can have. I very much agree with both the spirit and the letter of what the shadow Minister has just said. Our inboxes are full of cases of antisocial behaviour, which absolutely blights the lives of individuals and, in some cases, entire communities. The Government are clear that no one should feel unsafe in the places where they live, work or visit. In all cases of antisocial behaviour, but especially where it is persistent, landlords must be able to respond quickly and appropriately. Social landlords already have a range of powers and enforcement tools to tackle antisocial behaviour, and we expect them to use those promptly and appropriately, putting the needs of victims at the heart of their response. That is why we do not consider the new clause to be necessary.”
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“Do they wish to do away with second staircase requirements, or Awaab’s law, which was in legislation that they introduced? We could have a longer debate at another time—I feel that the energy and enthusiasm of the Committee are waning. Put simply, in our view, a further review is not necessary in this area for the reasons that I have given, so I kindly ask the hon. Member to withdraw the new clause.”
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“When introducing new regulations, the Government ensure that a robust assessment has been made of their impact. I would also reflect on the fact that there are overarching requirements in place that seek to ensure that regulatory requirements on social housing providers are proportionate. They include a statutory duty on the Regulator of Social Housing to carry out its work in a way that minimises interference and, as far as possible, is proportionate, consistent, transparent and accountable. The shadow Minister and I have had debates on these issues many times, and I know that he profoundly disagrees with some of the regulations introduced by the previous Government. In the months and years to come, I hope that we might be clearer on precisely which of those regulations the Opposition wish to remove.”
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“I thank the shadow Minister for speaking to new clause 35, which would require the Secretary of State to review “regulatory requirements on local authorities and registered providers of…social housing relating to social housing provision.” The Government recognise the importance of ensuring that regulatory requirements on social housing providers are proportionate and that, wherever possible, they do not create barriers to their delivering new social homes. We want to reduce regulatory burdens across Government where we can. Of course, we must also ensure that the necessary regulation is in place to protect social housing residents and ensure that social homes are safe, high-quality services are delivered and providers of social housing are well-governed and financially viable.”
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“They are a critical step toward a more transparent and enforceable PRS system, supporting compliance while giving tenants better information about the homes they rent. I commend the regulations to the Committee.”
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“We have issued guidance showing the order and timings for that. All relevant entries are required to be made by the end of 14 November 2027. A second statutory instrument will cover the public-facing side of the database, the addition of specified breaches and offences committed by landlords, and further data sharing. We will commence that as soon as possible following completion of the initial roll-out. It will concern what information is made visible to the public and wider data-sharing arrangements. Those matters are not in the scope of these regulations. To conclude, these regulations put in place the operational requirements needed to begin the roll-out of the PRS database.”
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“The regulations require landlords to pay a fee to make or renew a dwelling entry. The instrument does not set the fee, but it does delegate that to the database operator. The operator is required to set the fee by reference to the relevant costs as specified in the Renters’ Rights Act. We have separately announced the fee of £65 per property per year, pro-rated during the initial roll-out to ensure that costs remain fair and that those registering first are not paying more. This is the first of two statutory instruments needed to implement the database. Following parliamentary approval of this first instrument, roll-out of the database will commence on 15 December. Each region will be rolled out in one-month intervals. When a region’s registration window goes live, landlords will have three months to register properties in the region.”
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“The regulations also allow entries to be made, updated or renewed by certain third parties in discrete circumstances—for example, where a landlord lacks capacity or where a possession restriction is in place when a mortgage provider requires a court order possession of an unregistered property. Entries will need to be kept up to date for an entry to be deemed active. Recorded information will be treated as out of date where details no longer reflect the landlord, property, tenancy or relevant compliance position. It must generally be updated within 28 days. Regulations give the database operator the ability to correct errors and remove entries that do not meet the requirements for inclusion. We will issue guidance on the operational detail, including on the verification of entries by local authorities.”
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“Landlords will be required to make a dwelling entry for each property, which will contain information including its address, ownership, property type, rent level and relevant management details. Once occupied, it must include tenancy and health and safety information, including uploaded certificates and information relating to gas, electrical and energy performance information. Landlords will be legally responsible for registration, payment, renewal and compliance. Under regulations, they may, however, delegate the supply of certain information to an agent or property manager to reduce administrative burden.”
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“The service will be known publicly as the “Register your rental property” service, but I will refer to it as the database for the purposes of the Committee. The regulations determine how registering for the database will work in practice. They cover who can make entries, what information must be provided and how the database can be kept accurate over time and up to date. Landlords will be required to make a landlord entry, which will include their name and contact information. Entries for organisational landlords will include information about the organisation and its management. Joint landlords will share the dwelling entry for the property, but each will need their own landlord entry.”
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“That entails establishing a landlord ombudsman for the PRS to improve dispute resolution, settling issues between tenants and landlords without costly court proceedings, and introducing our innovative database of PRS properties to bring together key information for landlords, tenants and councils. The regulations we are considering today concern the latter. They set out the registration framework for the database and are essential to enabling its roll-out, which will commence regionally from 15 December. The database will record information about private landlords and privately let properties in England. It will help landlords understand their obligations, give tenants better information before entering into a tenancy and support local authorities with enforcement.”
House of Commons28 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026. It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Wishart. In our manifesto, we promised to overhaul the regulation of an insecure and unjust private rented sector. Our transformative Renters’ Rights Act 2025, which received Royal Assent on 27 October last year, delivered on that commitment. On 13 November, we published an implementation road map setting out our intention to switch on the provisions of the Act in three distinct phases. The first phase, which entailed the introduction of the new tenancy regime, was implemented on 1 May this year. We are now progressing with the second phase of our reforms.”
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“We are looking at how to make it easier for landlords, particularly those managing large portfolios, to connect their existing property management systems directly with the service and to create some efficiencies in that respect. We will look to provide a secure digital connection that landlords and their technology providers can choose to integrate with, reducing the need to enter the information manually to register their properties. We will continue to explore opportunities to improve functionality and reduce burdens as the service develops. I hope that that has answered some of the points about bulk data entry.”
House of Commons28 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Once the initial information has been uploaded, they will not need to change it if it remains unchanged. We have explored options for enabling bulk uploads—something I have pushed officials on. I started from the same position that Opposition Members did: “Can’t we just allow bulk uploads?” We have concluded, after looking into the issue in some detail, with quite a significant amount of sector engagement, that due to significant challenges with data validation and error handling, traditional solutions such as uploading Excel files—one of the options put to us—would add complexity for the user. We are designing the service to be as straightforward as possible for landlords, including those with larger portfolios. To meet their needs, we will enable organisations to add multiple employees to their accounts, enabling easier administration.”
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“I think it is the first time in this Parliament that I have seen the Liberal Democrats and Conservative party in unison. [ Interruption. ] But if they will let me finish, given that His Majesty’s Opposition opposed the Act outright, I am not surprised by their opposition to this measure, although I am somewhat surprised by the Liberal Democrats’ opposition. I take the challenges on the various points in good faith, however, so let me try and reassure hon. Members about what we are trying to achieve here. First, on how the data is uploaded, I will make it clear that it is not the case that each landlord needs to log on and upload the same information each year starting from scratch. They need to update the information only if the information they have already entered has changed.”
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“The shadow Minister is absolutely right that the NRLA and other organisations support the database in principle, because it will allow us to bear down on the unscrupulous landlords in the market who do much to colour the reputation of the good landlords out there.”
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“I think the shadow Minister has put to me on several occasions, as has the hon. Member for Taunton and Wellington, the need to properly fund local authority enforcement in the private rented sector—here we are with the means to do so. Every landlord is required to pay the annual £65 fee for each property they register on the database. As the fee is charged per property, landlords must pay each time they register a different property. The fee has been set in that way to balance fairness and sustainability for landlords with the cost of operating the service and tackling non-compliance in the private rented sector.”
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“Requiring landlords to initiate registration ensures that they engage with their legal responsibilities from the outset. We do, however, recognise that letting and property agents play an important role in supporting landlords to meet these responsibilities. To reflect that, agents will be able to support landlords by providing certain information once the landlord has started the registration process. Again, I come back to the importance of the initial registration in this first phase of the roll-out. Where an agent agrees, the landlord will be able to delegate the provision of specific tenancy and health and safety information to them. A series of points were put to me about the fee. The fee is set at £65 to fund a national service. It is fair, sustainable and capable of supporting effective enforcement.”
House of Commons28 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We will, however, continue to review how selective licensing and the national service interact as implementation progresses, with a specific view to reducing duplication. I very much agree that, in terms of the information currently held when a selective licensing scheme is put in place, there are ways to reduce the amount of that required once the database is in place. The shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Orpington, asked why letting agents cannot register on behalf of landlords. One of the key goals of the database is to improve landlord awareness and capability. Responsibility for ensuring that registration requirements are met will remain with the landlord throughout. Letting and property agents will not have a mandatory role in registration and will not be separately registered through the service.”
House of Commons28 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Well, we are going to look to integrate the management systems of large portfolio holders. I was asked, “Does each large portfolio holder have to sit there and add in each entry every year?” That is not the case. I am trying to clarify some of the misconceptions that have been put to me. On selective licensing, as we debated at length through the passage of the Act, selective licensing and the database have different purposes. The database will not duplicate or replace selective licensing. We recognise the important role that licensing can continue to play where it is used appropriately. The national database will provide consistent information about private landlords and rental properties across England, supporting transparency, compliance and local authority enforcement.”
House of Commons28 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I do not think we need to think again, because we are already thinking about this issue. I say to the hon. Gentleman again that we are exploring how we can make it easier for landlords, particularly those managing large portfolios, to connect their existing management systems directly with the service and integrate them.”
House of Commons28 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗