The Southern Private Landlords Association, representing 900 landlords in Brighton, has worked closely with Brighton and Hove City Council to improve standards in the private rented sector.

With the introduction of the 2004 Housing Act, local authorities, including Brighton and Hove, will become more involved with private rented sector landlords than ever before.

I am therefore most surprised to find that when it comes to council housing there are many complaints from tenants of poor management and lack of effective repairs.

However, I am even more surprised to find that there are, according to The Argus, council housing rent arrears totalling £3.7 million.

Managing property is not only about housing tenants. It is also about managing the tenancies and managing the property and that includes collecting rents.

Brighton and Hove City Council has been awarded one star. One wonders why that is!

It needs to improve its performance significantly and demonstrate it is a good manager of properties before it tells private rented sector landlords how to manage theirs.

Perhaps private landlords should be managing the council properties. Then perhaps they would be managed effectively and the rents collected or the tenants evicted.

Working with the council should be in partnership but lately there has been little communication or interest from the council in working with private landlords.

The situation needs to be resolved, and working together re-established.

-Mike Stimpson, chairman, Southern Private Landlords Association, Brighton