An ever-growing raft of new rules and regulations affecting the private home rental sector is leading to a surge in applications to join the industry's top professional body.

An ever-growing raft of new rules and regulations affecting the private home rental sector is leading to a surge in applications to join the industry's top professional body.

The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) is processing about 30 new requests monthly as property professionals try to keep abreast of the changes, and membership figures jumped to more than 1800 affiliated letting offices nationally by June.

Chief executive Adrian Turner praised some of the Government-imposed rules, but added: "However, there are elements of legislation that are either impractical or left to the discretion of others, such as local authorities. Landlords and tenants believe they are offered insufficient publicly-available information, and find that it is often contradictory and inaccurate."

His criticism comes as the private rental sector faces an unprecedented wave of stricter rules. These include the Housing, Health and Safety Rating System, licensing from July 6 of large properties in multiple occupation (HMOs), and Empty Dwelling Management Orders, giving local authorities powers to bring long-term vacant or dilapidated homes back into use to reduce housing shortages.

In December, the Disability Discrimination Act takes effect, with a code of practice to be published in the autumn. While not expected to be onerous to landlords or their agents, it will impose new guidelines which must be followed.

Mandatory tenancy deposit protection will follow from April 2007. With a start date recently delayed by six months, this sweeping legislation requires all deposits taken under assured shorthold tenancies (the vast majority nowadays) to be covered by an insurance-backed scheme or placed in a single national custodial scheme.

Adrian Turner commented: "Given all this, it is hardly surprising that ARLA has seen the greatest single period of growth in membership since the introduction of the Housing Act 1988.

“Increased membership helps us raise standards right across the lettings industry, and will also encourage more tenants to rent and more investors to buy-to-let."