ARLA and NAEA comment on the appointment of Alok Sharma as Housing and Planning Minister

David Cox, Chief Executive, ARLA Propertymark (Association of Residential Letting Agents) and Mark Hayward, Chief Executive, NAEA Propertymark (National Association of Estate Agents) comment:

“We would like to congratulate Alok Sharma on his appointment to Minister of State for Housing and Planning. We worked closely with the former administration to secure a number of key improvements to the industry including support for greater property transparency and more appropriate regulation through the introduction of Client Money Protection for letting agents.

“However, more can be done and the Minister will have a lot in his in-tray as he arrives on his first day as long standing issues continue to impact the sector. We call on the Minister to build upon the underwhelming recommendations contained within the Housing White Paper and take forward a series of fundamental reforms to change the industry for the better. Demand continues to greatly outstrip supply and more appropriate regulation of the sector is vital if we are to improve the experience of people looking to rent and purchase a home.

“The Government has a good opportunity at the Queens Speech to introduce a new and radical Housing Bill to address these significant concerns. The challenges are not insurmountable and we greatly look forward to working with the DCLG team to find solutions to these challenges in the months ahead.”