If you’re planning to rent a home when you relocate, perhaps while you look for a property to buy, you’ll be interested in a new campaign that is calling for better enforcement of tenants’ rights in the private rented sector.

Launched by homelessness charity Shelter, the campaign sets out a range of rights which, the charity says, are enshrined in law but poorly enforced by local authorities and other agencies. These range from protection against eviction, and the safeguarding of tenants’ deposits, to health and safety matters such as gas and electrical safety checks.

The British Property Federation (BPF), which is supporting the campaign, said action was essential, given the huge growth in private renting over the past ten years, which has seen 1.1 million additional households finding a home in the sector – accounting for almost all housing growth since 2000. And, with mortgage and public finance for housing likely to remain constrained, the importance of the private rented sector will only increase.

The Autumn 2010 issue of Re:locate includes an update on the UK residential property market. The Winter 2010/11 issue will contain further in-depth analysis of this key sector for relocation, with the latest on the furniture rental sector.