The National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) has published a report on its review of the performance by local authorities of their functions under the Standards and Rent Books Regulations applicable to private rented accommodation. It is based primarily on the responses from authorities to a questionnaire dealing with their functions in this area, although data integrity issues relating to the information provided by authorities were encountered. In commenting on the report, NOAC Chairman, Pat McLoughlin, said:

“This is the first thematic review carried out by NOAC on a particular aspect of local authority functions and it is appropriate that it deals with what is an increasingly important segment of the housing market. Local authorities have an important role in ensuring that rented accommodation meets the specified standard and that landlords comply with the Rent Books requirements. NOAC’s overall finding is that the inspection process as currently administered by the local authority sector as a whole is not having a sufficient impact on the standard of rental accommodation.”