In his speech at the National Housing Federation Conference, Communities Minister David Miliband delivered a clear message that the Government would reduce top-down regulation, but landlords must be more accountable from the bottom up.
Mr Miliband acknowledged the claims of landlords that they were being over-regulated and argued that his aim was to achieve good performance and not manage by excessive form-filling. He also argued, however, that there is a need to find different ways of giving tenants the kind of power that owners take for granted.
The Minister told delegates that associations would face less regulation if they give more power to tenants. He said "we can reduce the burdens of inspection and regulation but you need to share power and control with tenants and put tenant involvement at the heart of your organisations".