Professionalism, misconduct and social responsibility in the private rented sector

The Private Rented Sector (PRS) in the UK has expanded significantly since 2001 and now provides housing for approximately a fifth of all households, with much of this growth attributed to the influx of small-scale buy-to-let landlords (Ronald & Kadi, 2017). Governments across the UK have introduced legislation to improve practice and standards of landlords, including enhanced enforcement powers (i.e., Civil Penalties) and restrictions to limit unfair practices (i.e., regulation of chargeable fees). Nevertheless, in the public discourse misconduct, unfair or illegal practice is described to be the actions of ‘rogue’ landlords. In this paper it is contended that the focus on ‘rogue’ narratives, especially the emotionally charged nature of these terms, hinders a better understanding of professional competencies and the nature of misconduct in the PRS. It is argued that framing malpractice as potential failings of professionalism and social responsibility as is common in other sectors would improve our understanding of these failings. This paper draws upon broader knowledge from health care management and organisational fields, specifically, the concepts of professionalism, professional competencies, misconduct, and corporate social responsibility to formulate the foundations for a new framework using requisite concepts regarding best practice by professionals in the PRS.