Plans for a database of private rented properties risk providing little help to tenants unless it includes meaningful information, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has warned.

The NRLA’s concern comes as the Renters’ Rights Bill sets out to establish a database of all private rented properties and landlords in England.

The landlords’ body has complained that whilst ministers pledge that the database will give assurances to tenants, no detail has been provided about the exact types of information that will be included on it.

In the NRLA’s view, responsible landlords need to be able to demonstrate compliance with all their obligations, whilst tenants must be empowered to identify homes and landlords that meet all required standards.

According to the NRLA, at a minimum, gas and electricity safety certificates should be fully digitised so they can be easily uploaded onto the database, alongside already digitised energy performance certificates. The database should also include a signed declaration by a landlord which confirms that a property meets the requirements of the planned decent homes standard for the sector.

The NRLA claims that without this essential information, the database will fail to help tenants determine whether properties are safe and secure, and the outcome will only undermine its intended purpose.

Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the NRLA, said: “The database of private rented properties must go beyond a basic directory. It needs to provide tenants with clear, meaningful information designed to empower informed decisions on their next home. This will help tenants identify the vast majority of homes that are safe, secure and well-managed by responsible landlords.

“It would be a travesty if the database simply became a bureaucratic list of homes and landlords with little else besides.”