UK Landlords Opposed to New EU Directive

Landlord Assist, a British service for tenant eviction, upon reading the new proposal of the European Commission, has become concerned with the fact that UK landlords may be forced to adapt their properties for disabled tenants. According to the new legislation, or, equal treatment directive, landlords might be obliged to make adjustments to their rental properties for disabled tenants, even if landlords don’t have them. Currently, the legislation allows landlords to only make such adjustments upon tenant’s request rather than in anticipation of a situation where the property will be let to a disabled tenant.
In case the equal treatment directive proposed by the European Commission passes through, UK landlords will have to make a number of major changes to rental properties in order to meet the needs of various types of disabled tenants. For instance, landlords will have to equip the properties with entrance ramps, stairlifts, grab rails, wide doors, re-designed bathrooms, signs in Braille, etc. In case at least one of the above-mentioned adjustments is omitted, landlords might well face claims for failing to meet the needs the disable tenants, should the EU Commission’s proposal be accepted.
Not only Landlord Assist is opposed to the new directive; the Residential Landlord Association (RLA) has also expressed its disappointment with the proposal. In the opinion of Mr. Richard Jones, RLA secretary, the proposed measure is excessive as no one can possibly know what to expect. A disabled tenant might never live in a property that has been “adequately equipped” for him or her. Moreover, he highlighted the fact that it is extremely hard to make such adjustments that would meet the needs of all the disabilities that exist.
Mr. Graham Kinnear, Landlord Assist managing director is determined that if the proposal of the EU Commission, which he refers to as “complete nonsense” is accepted, many investors would be deferred from entering the buy to let market. This, in turn, will result in a failure to meet any objectives of the UK Government to provide country’s residents with affordable and accessible accommodation.