Chamber and committees

That is even worse. How much of that was due to the fact that there was a rent cap and a rent freeze in place because of Covid?

It was 3 per cent.

So you would be supportive of the bill’s proposal to support information services for private let tenants and so on?

I have some quick questions, which I will roll together.

In the first evidence session today, we heard that, since 2017, only just over 200 cases had gone through the rent adjudication process. Why is that, and how do we improve access for tenants?

I will ask about rent adjudication and your views on how we can improve it. However, first, I want to ask Deborah Hay a quick follow-up question. When you sell a property, you have to produce a home report. Should there be something similar for landlords when they put a property on the market for rent?

We have talked a lot this morning about the importance of the tenant-landlord relationship and the fact that that might have an impact on the low numbers of people who go through the rent adjudication process. There are also vulnerable tenants who might not have the knowledge of how they can appeal. I think that it might have been Anna Evans who said that, if there is no alternative home, people are not going to complain. What needs to be done to improve the take-up of rent adjudication, given that minefield?

My last question is for Joshua Davies and Anna Evans. The research by Indigo House has found that low-income tenants in particular do not feel secure in their privately rented homes and continue to fear eviction if they complain or challenge landlord activity. Can you say a bit more about that?

Yes—I have an additional question.

Alex, you spoke about international comparisons. In your written evidence, you highlighted that, in Germany, landlords have to advertise their proposed rent offer as well as the relevant ceiling for the rent control area. Could you say whether that has any impact on the market?

Is there anything that we can do to address that?

Is there anything that can be done to enforce the situation with landlords? Should there be a series of fines on landlords if they do not follow through on what they originally proposed?