Energy Bill [HL]

Debate between Lord Best and Lord Teverson

Monday 24th January 2011 Grand Committee

[Lord Teverson]

My Lords, I am a landlord—very much in the line that the noble Lord, Lord Best, described of one property, but I thought that I should declare that interest in this debate.

[Lord Best]

I shall just add another statistical piece of information. Some 40 per cent of tenants move within a year of the occupation of their home. In principle, the idea of consulting with the residents of a place before you start doing anything to it is entirely right, but we have a big transient population in the private rented sector. My other point is that, although you could consult the first occupier, the debt is taken on and lasts 25 years. In almost no cases will the same person be there for all that period, and you are not able to consult people further down the line about a decision taken by an earlier tenant. Although I sympathise with the sentiment that one should consult with the tenants, this is possibly impractical.