Ministers ‘To Ditch Overhaul Of Planning Laws’

The government is reportedly backpedalling on its commitment to overhaul planning laws in order to accelerate infrastructure projects with a target of building 300,000 homes a year in England. Part of the government’s “Project Speed”, the new planning laws were announced in the Queen’s speech with the target of modernising and simplifying the system and increasing the number of homes being planned by more than a third. The planning reforms have been met with criticism from countryside campaigners, who said the changes would lead to the “suburbanisation” of green areas without delivering much-needed affordable housing. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/sep/11/ministers-to-ditch-overhaul-of-planning-laws-after-criticism 

Calls For ‘Cruel’ And ‘Antiquated’ Vagrancy Act To Be Scrapped

Campaigners and cross-party MPs are calling for the Government to scrap an “antiquated” law that the Housing Secretary six months ago said should be abolished. Robert Jenrick told Parliament in February that the Vagrancy Act’s “time has been and gone” and the “antiquated” law should be “consigned to history”. The 19th-century law criminalises people for rough sleeping or begging, with anyone prosecuted facing a fine of up to £1,000 and a criminal record. Critics say the “cruel” law drives vulnerable people further away from support, and people should not be punished for being homeless. Last year there were 573 Vagrancy Act prosecutions in England and Wales. Read more on the ITV website.

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-08-24/calls-for-cruel-and-antiquated-vagrancy-act-to-be-scrapped

Scrapping Stamp Duty Would Benefit Housing Market And Wider Economy

The UK economy would see benefits if the government updated property taxes including stamp duty which discourages mobility and dampens transaction levels, a report commissioned by the Family Building Society found. The new report, Lessons From The Stamp Duty Holiday, drew on surveys of lenders brokers and customers, a review of evidence of the effects of the tax holiday and data on transaction volumes as well as the Treasury’s tax take. Of the 40 brokers surveyed, 53 per cent believed stamp duty on housing transactions should be scrapped permanently. Read more on the Mortgage Solutions website.

https://www.mortgagesolutions.co.uk/news/2021/07/14/scrapping-stamp-duty-would-benefit-housing-market-and-wider-economy-family-bs/ 

Scrap Stamp Duty And Implement Annual Property Tax

A think tank wants the government to scrap stamp duty and replace it with an annual property tax based on capital value. Bright Blue says its tax commission - which it calls “cross party, cross sector” - recommends an annual proportionate property tax (APPT) on the current capital value of houses with a tax exemption for properties worth up to £50,000 and a 25 per cent surcharge for second home owners. Liability to pay would be with owners, not occupants. A single low tax threshold of initially £50,000 should be introduced, set to rise with house prices over time. Read more on Estate Agent Today.

Scrap Stamp Duty and implement annual property tax - ... (estateagenttoday.co.uk)

Ministers Focus On Councils’ Decarbonisation Scheme After Green Homes Grant Scrapped

The government is expecting many councils to bid for an extra £300m funding pot as part of an extended scheme to help decarbonise homes. The government said that 96,000 applications had been made through the Green Homes Grant scheme and 39,000 vouchers had been issued, with vouchers totalling £300m eventually expected to be issued. But MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee said the administration of the troubled scheme seems “nothing short of disastrous”. Read more on the Social Housing website.

https://www.socialhousing.co.uk/news/ministers-focus-on-councils-decarbonisation-scheme-after-flagship-green-homes-grant-scrapped-70236?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60 

Government Scraps Green Homes Grant

 The government has scrapped its flagship green homes grant scheme, the centrepiece of Boris Johnson’s promise to “build back greener” from the Covid-19 pandemic, just over six months after its launch. The abandonment of the £1.5bn programme, which offered households grants of up to £5,000 or £10,000 to put in insulation or low-carbon heating, leaves the UK without a plan for tackling one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. People who have had their applications for vouchers under the scheme accepted will receive any money owed, but no new applications will be accepted after the end of this month. Read more on the Observer website.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/27/uk-government-scraps-green-homes-grant-after-six-months

Housing Act 1988 – Parliamentary Written Answer

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to bring forward legislation to repeal Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988. 

Christopher Pincher: The Government remains committed to abolishing Section 21 through a Renters’ Reform Bill which will enhance renters’ security. However, our collective efforts are currently focused on responding to the coronavirus outbreak. We will bring forward the Renters’ Reform Bill at the appropriate time.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2021-01-27/144649 

Government Scrapping Affordable Starter Homes ‘Deplorable’, Say MPs

 A government plan to deliver discounted starter homes has left 85,000 young people waiting in vain for an affordable place to live, in a policy branded “deplorable” by a cross-party committee of MPs. The 2015 initiative to build 200,000 homes and sell them at a 20% discount was formally scrapped this year without a single home being built. But £173m was spent buying land, a damning report by the Commons public accounts committee said. It is now on course to deliver only 6,600 homes and is being replaced by a new scheme. Read more on the Guardian website.

 https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/dec/09/government-scrapping-affordable-starter-homes-deplorable-say-mps

Landlords Publish New Deal For Rented Housing

Private landlords are calling on the government to establish a new landlord and tenant conciliation service as part of its planned changes to the private rented sector. The call, being made by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), comes as it publishes its proposals for the Renters’ Reform Bill. With the government committed to abolishing section 21, or ‘no fault’ evictions, the NRLA is calling for reforms to the rights of repossession that are fair to both tenants and landlords. The plans outline clear and comprehensive grounds upon which landlords should be able to regain possession of their properties. Read more on the Mortgage Introducer website.

https://www.mortgageintroducer.com/landlords-publish-new-deal-rented-housing/

Private Rented Housing – Parliamentary Written Answer

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will introduce longer minimum rental contracts to provide renters with more financial stability. 

Christopher Pincher: A Renters’ Reform Bill will enhance renters’ security and improve protections for tenants by abolishing ‘no-fault’ evictions. The Government is committed to bringing forward legislation to abolish section 21 but such legislation must be balanced and considered to achieve the right outcomes for the sector. It is only right that providing tenants with greater security of tenure is balanced with an assurance that landlords are able to recover their properties where they have valid reasons to do so. We will bring forward the Renters Reform Bill as a priority once the urgencies of responding to the pandemic have passed.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2020-07-16/75319 

Housing Secretary Announces Proposals To Change Planning

The Secretary of State for Housing, Robert Jenrick MP, yesterday announced a package of measures to reform the planning system and encourage house building. He also confirmed the Government intends to bring forward the Renters Reform Bill (encompassing the abolition of section 21, ‘lifetime deposits’, and the extension of the rogue landlords database) this year, as well as a social housing white paper. The Government plans to publish a ‘white paper’ in the spring, setting out their ambitions for reform of the planning system. Read more on the NLA website.

https://landlords.org.uk/news-campaigns/news/housing-secretary-announces-proposals-change-planning

MP Presses Government On Timetable For Renters’ Reform Bill

Rosie Cooper, Labour MP for West Lancashire has received her response to a written question on the timetable for the introduction of the Renters Reform Bill. It has been two months since Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick MP announced the Renters Reform Bill as part of the Queens Speech. Responding to Ms Cooper’s question, Junior Minister at MHCLG, Luke Hall MP, said that it would be brought forward “as soon as Parliamentary time allows.” The new bill will introduce a package of reforms, including the abolition of Section 21. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/labour-mp-presses-government-on-timetable-for-renters-reform-bill-introduction/

Law Society Calls For An End To Section 21

Section 21 has been dealt a further blow with the Law Society backing the government’s intention to abolish so-called ‘no fault’ evictions. But highlighting the need for balance between the rights of tenants and landlords, the Society has also recommended the widening of Section 8 – the powers of a landlord to regain their property in specific circumstances. The Law Society was responding to the MHCLG consultation A New Deal for Renting through its housing law committee. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/law-society-says-end-section-21/

Government’s Housing Plans Are A Crisis Waiting To Happen

Government plans to scrap ‘no fault’ evictions, reiterated in the Queen’s Speech, will dramatically increase the risk faced by private landlords and lead to the loss of thousands of homes in the private rented sector, the National Landlords Association (NLA) has warned. The NLA, which represents 42,000 members, urged the Government to avoid creating an unnecessary crisis in the private rented sector by ensuring that reform of the court process is implemented alongside any change to tenancy legislation. Read why a crisis will occur on the NLA website.

https://landlords.org.uk/news-campaigns/news/governments-housing-plans-are-crisis-waiting-happen

Government Commits To Abolition Of Section 21

The Queen’s Speech confirms the government is going for the full abolition of Section 21 abolishing the use of ‘no fault’ evictions, but will offer a “strengthening of rights” to landlords needing to gain possession of their property when they have a valid reason to do so. On this, the Renters Reform Bill envisages an improved court process. Clear on the intention to abolish section 21, the Bill introduces a package of reforms intended to deliver a “fairer and more effective” rental market. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/government-goes-for-abolition-of-section-21/

What Will A Conservative Government Mean For Landlords?

The Conservatives have triumphed at the polls with a large majority – but what does this mean for landlords and the private rented sector? A commitment to abolishing Section 21, a stamp duty surcharge on non-UK residents and lifetime rental deposits were all key elements of the Conservative manifesto. On the PRS the Tories also said they will press forward with the roll-out of Universal Credit, bring an end to the benefit freeze and invest £9.2 billion in the energy efficiency of homes, schools and hospitals. A lifetime rental deposit scheme would see deposits transferred from one tenancy to another, rather than tenants having to save up for a ‘second deposit’ when moving house. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/what-will-a-conservative-government-mean-for-landlords/

Councils Ask For Housing Discounts Following PWLB Rate Rise

Councils have asked the Treasury to offer discounts on public borrowing rates for housing after interest levels were hiked last week. The government told local authorities that it is increasing the cost of new borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) by 1%, bringing the rate to 1.8% over gilts, which sit at around 1%. The move has led to concerns in local authorities across the country that the increase could threaten planned housing and regeneration schemes. Town halls across the country have been putting in place huge borrowing programmes to build new homes after the government abolished the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) debt cap in October last year. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/councils-ask-for-housing-discounts-following-pwlb-rate-rise-63708?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

East Kent Housing Likely To Be Ditched

Thanet council is proposing to ditch arrangements with East Kent Housing and bring its social housing service back under authority control. Cabinet members are expected to approve moves to put the plans out to council property residents for consultation next month with a report coming back to council early next year. The action comes on the heels of revelations earlier this year that hundreds of council property tenants across east Kent had been awaiting gas safety certificates due to overdue Landlord Gas Safety Register assessments. It then emerged that there were also grave concerns over potential further issues with electrical certification, lifts, fire safety and legionella testing. Read more on the Isle of Thanet News website.

https://theisleofthanetnews.com/2019/10/09/east-kent-housing-likely-to-be-ditched-and-housing-brought-back-under-thanet-council-control/

Government Urged To Commit To Section 21 Abolishment

Unaffordable rents, shoddy living conditions, and the threat of no fault eviction are putting thousands of older people who rent their homes from private landlords at risk, according to Age UK. As part of a campaign launch, the charity is calling on the government to give all older renters the security of tenure necessary to have peace of mind and feel safe in their own homes. According to reports, for older people who do not own their own homes, renting privately is often the only option left. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/government-urged-commit-to-section-21-abolishment/

London Council Halts ‘Out Of Borough’ Homeless Placements

Enfield Council will stop moving homeless people outside of the borough, as part of a wider effort to end its “extensive use” of temporary accommodation. The council will begin its new approach by relocating residents who have been placed in permitted development blocks in Harlow, Essex. Mark Ingall, leader of Harlow council, has welcomed the move by Enfield which is responsible for roughly half of the "out of borough" placements made by London councils in Harlow. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/london-council-halts-out-of-borough-homeless-placements-63566?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60