The campaigning charity Shelter – which under its previous leadership had an aggressively anti-landlord tone – wants to be more conciliatory.
That’s according to its new chief executive, Sarah Elliott, in an interview with the Inside Housing magazine.
In a lengthy interview, Elliott speaks of the role of Shelter “evolving” in terms of its approach to new homes, social housing, government policy and the private rental sector.
She is quoted as saying: “With renters’ rights, how do we enforce rights in a context where local authorities are really, really short of resources?
“How do we work as a partner in that system to make these things a reality?”
In the interview she sees her role as attempting to get previously hostile parties around a table to discuss a way forward.
She cites a “constructive meeting” with Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, where they discussed the impact of the upcoming changes to Section 21 notices.
Her predecessor was Polly Neate – who was made a Baroness by the Labour government in November, after leaving the Shelter post.
Inside Housing puts Neate’s quite distinct style like this: “Baroness Neate … became something of a thorn in the side of the private rented sector. During her tenure, Baroness Neate was outspoken in her criticism of private landlords, accusing them of getting away with cutting corners on housing conditions.
In response to that critique of her predecessor, Elliott tells Inside Housing: “We cannot be complacent”
“Where there are rogue landlords who are not doing the right thing, we clearly will not be on their side.
“But I do think we’re going to have to work as a [collective] if we’re going to improve the system and end homelessness.”
You can see the full interview here.
This article is taken from Landlord Today