Landlords offered incentives to join voluntary register

Registration set to become mandatory next year

Landlords on the Island are being offered incentives to sign up to a voluntary registration scheme before it becomes mandatory next year.

A bill, looking to ensure certain standards of private sector housing, passed through the branches of Tynwald in July and is now awaiting Royal Assent.

By registering, private landlords and their property would have to meet certain management, conditions and safety standards.

The plans have previously been met with opposition, though - due, in part, to the fact the new rules won't apply to public housing.

In March 2021, the Isle of Man Landlords Association described the legislation as 'complicated, bureaucratic and unnecessary' and warned it would lead to higher rents and less available rental property.

The latest version of draft legislation was written up in August after MHKs voted in favour of the amended bill.

Based on that, government has introduced a voluntary scheme ahead of the register becoming law, which it estimates will happen in winter 2022.

To encourage landlords to sign up now, they're being offered free registration for the first five years, including automatic transfer onto the mandatory register in 2022 - subject to further self-declaration.

They will also be given a unique registration number to assist in marketing properties, which will be essential for applying and qualifying for grant assistance through the Green Living Grant Scheme - launched by the Department for Enterprise in October.

To join the list early landlords will have to make a self-declaration and provide documents to prove that both they and their property meet the criteria.

Infrastructure Minister Tim Crookall said: ‘Landlords are encouraged to sign up onto the voluntary register now, whilst it is free and to make the transition to the mandatory register easier for them when the time comes.’

Details on how to apply can be found here.