UIPI: the landlord’s voice in Brussels

The legislative proposals and regulations that come out of Brussels are having an increasing impact on the daily business of landlords across the UK. From energy efficiency to water savings, and consumer protection to mortgages, it is often European Union directives that determine the measures taken in the private-rented sector (PRS) by national parliaments, including Westminster.

It is the International Union of Property Owners, the UIPI, (Union Internationale de la Propriété Immobilière) that stands up for the interests of landlords in Brussels, lobbying for the private-rented sector just as the NLA lobbies for the sector in the UK.

Established in 1923, the UIPI represents small and medium real estate firms, house owners, and both commercial and residential landlords. The NLA is one of the main driving forces of the organisation, working alongside national associations from 25 countries, who have all come together to defend the rights of Europe’s property owners and promote the growth of the private-rented sector.

With many European countries facing real estate crises, the UIPI has been working hard to make sure that EU policies reflect the concerns of a sector that plays such a crucial role in the European housing market.

Over the course of the last year, the UIPI has been able to score major successes in protecting landlords from potentially damaging regulations on consumer protection and distance selling. Thanks to UIPI lobbying, property-related contracts were excluded from the consumer rights directive. That means that landlords can post online information about properties to let without having to worry about compliance with a host of complicated new rules. Meanwhile, in March this year, the Commission decided against imposing binding energy efficiency targets on private buildings, after the UIPI warned policymakers about the financial impact of targets on property owners. Brussels now recognises that it is the private- rented sector that has the most important part to play in making Europe’s housing stock more environmentally friendly, and understands that it needs to keep European landlords on its side in this effort.

It is the UIPI’s responsibility to make sure that property owners and landlords continue to enjoy the support of EU policymakers in the years to come. As UK Landlord reports in this issue, the organisation is now looking to ensure that the EU’s latest Energy Efficiency and Water Efficiency initiatives do not impose new requirements on the private-rented sector.

Standing up for landlords with portfolios of all sizes in the corridors of power in Brussels isn’t always easy – but thanks to the UIPI, our voices can be heard loud and clear.

For more information, see www.uipi.com