Private Rented Sector Market Research

Private Rented Sector Market Research

The housing team at M·E·L Research has a strong background and expertise in private rented sector market research (PRS), working with many councils in both selective and additional license consultations.

We have partnered with local councils who are both beginning to look at applying for licencing in their area and those looking to renew after an initial period with licenses in place. Our role in these consultations is to gather feedback from all stakeholders who may be affected by changes in licensing, ensuring the voice of all is heard to give our clients the most thorough information gathering possible to help inform decisions that can make a big impact.

Often a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, our consultation programmes are designed to truly understand the impact of PRS licensing, offering a variety of channels for feedback.

• A quantitative survey will ensures we collect robust feedback on the key questions regarding the licensing consultation. Offering a variety of methodologies, such as online and face to face, allows us to directly consult with all key stakeholders, such as private tenants, residents and landlords.
• Depth interviewing and focus groups ensure that specific concerns and viewpoints are gathered to truly understand how those impacted by the licensing feel.
• Its also important we gather information from different organisations and authorities within the sector. We offer multiple channels for such feedback, such as dedicated email addresses and web pages.

Our specialism is to synthesise this qualitative and quantitative insight to produce an evidence based report to directly inform the decision making process on licensing. Away from licensing consultations, we also have a wealth of experience around other subject matter within the private rented sector.

Some recent examples of this work include:

• Working with a combined authority to help with ensuring private landlords meet the minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES), and what information may need to be changed based on new policies.
• Researching into the impact on families living in temporary accommodation as well working with Shelter and Nationwide Foundation to evaluate their Fair Housing Futures programme.