That this Assembly calls upon the Minister for Social Development to legislate for the mandatory registration of all landlords in the private sector.

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Mr Burns: I beg to move the following amendment. Insert after “legislate”

“, subject to the findings of the Housing Affordability Review Implementation Group,”.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to talk on this issue. I strongly support the call for the mandatory registration of private-sector landlords. Landlords and letting agents have responsibilities, not just to their tenants, but to the wider community. There are too many instances in which those responsibilities are ignored to the detriment of tenants and of society in general.

I appreciate that there is legislation already in place, such as the Private Tenancies Order (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, which requires landlords to make sure that their properties are maintained in a fit state. It is time that the legislation was taken one step further in order to give the tenant the right to know the name and address of the landlord.

As I said previously, I agree wholeheartedly with the recommendations of the Semple Report. There is a strong case for the registration of all landlords by the Housing Executive, with sanctions for those who fail to register. It is important to remember that many tenants in the private-rental sector are supported by housing benefit, which is, after all, public money. It is important to ensure that we are getting the best possible value and providing people with the best possible service.

With that in mind, I am fairly sure that the housing affordability review implementation group will share that point of view when it publishes its conclusions.

We should look to our neighbours in the South and in Scotland for advice, and we should learn from their experiences. The model that was introduced in Scotland in 2006 provides a good framework for the development of our own system, mainly because it is strongly tied to antisocial behaviour legislation.

As I have said, landlords have a duty to their community as well as to their tenants. They not only have a responsibility to keep buildings in good order, they must ensure that their properties are not used as dole drops or party houses. Similarly, landlords should not be permitted to evict tenants from homes at short notice without good reason. We all know that making people homeless puts a strain on our already-dwindling public-housing stock. That must not be allowed to happen without the application of sanctions. Within our proposed system, sanctions should be available to punish swiftly landlords who take such action; the threat of the quick administration of anti-social behaviour orders or swift prosecution should prevent such activity.

Although I have talked about legislation and regulation, we must never lose sight of the bigger picture and the main priority. Everyone should live in a good neighbourhood and have warm comfortable homes in which they can live securely without fear or worry. The mandatory registration of private landlords will help to achieve that.

I support the amendment.