The government's Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has said that its white paper on rental reform, which was part of a 2019 manifesto promise, has been delayed yet again. The further delay of publication from this autumn until 2022, comes as the creators of the report are given extra time to develop a balanced set of reform proposals.

With more people in the UK renting than ever before, there have been an increasing number of calls for more regulation of the lettings industry including qualifications and licensing requirements.

New rules on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in rented properties have recently been announced, as the government continues to push forward safety standards in the private and social rented sectors. While the rule changes have come out of a 2020 white paper on social housing, the amended regulations will affect private rented accommodation too.