ABSTRACT
The PRS market is diverse, constantly in flux and subject to a piecemeal regulatory framework with little overall policy coordination. It remains the case that a minority of the PRS tenants are exploited by criminal landlords, adversely affecting their health, safety and security. Many local authorities have responded with radical interventions, including PRS licensing, in part because it offers self-funded mechanisms for improving property standards and excluding the worst offenders. It is crucial that effective research and evaluation expand to help capture PRS intervention successes and failures. EHPs operate within a complex framework and require multiple skills and advanced knowledge to promote and enforce better conditions in the PRS. Many authorities face high-risk scenarios related to HMOs, including fire safety, serious disrepair and over-crowding. Laws and regulations are dynamic and require continued investment in staff training to help maintain workforce competency. Complex enforcement interventions stand or fall depending on how well practitioners collect, record and interpret gathered evidence.
