Green Belt: Housing – Parliamentary Written Answer

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps his Department has taken to protect the green belt from housing developments. 

Mrs Heather Wheeler: In our National Planning Policy Framework, reissued in February 2019, we ask local authorities to protect their Green Belts, making clear that most types of new buildings are inappropriate there, and should be refused planning permission. The revised Framework now also states that a local authority can propose to alter a Green Belt boundary only in exceptional circumstances and only if it can show that it has examined all other reasonable options for meeting its identified development needs.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-07-19/279438

Private Rented Housing – Parliamentary Written Answer

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the proportion of private landlords who refuse to rent accommodation to people who receive social security payments.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: According to the English Private Landlord Survey 2018: 52 per cent of landlords and 37 per cent of agents reported that they would be unwilling to let to tenants in receipt of Housing Benefit. 47 per cent of landlords and 33 per cent of agents reported that they would be unwilling to let to anyone on Universal Credit.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-07-08/274566

Homelessness Minister Accused Of Racist Remarks About Rough Sleepers

The homelessness minister, Heather Wheeler, has apologised after leaked emails showed her using “racist” language to describe rough sleepers before she joined the government. In an email sent in October 2017 to a homeless charity three months before she became minister, the Conservative MP for South Derbyshire described rough sleepers in her constituency as “the traditional type, old tinkers, knife-cutters wandering through”. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jun/20/homelessness-minister-accused-of-racist-remarks-in-email

Government Opens Up New Scheme To ‘Protect Renters And Landlords’

Housing Minister Heather Wheeler MP has brought forward new legislation to strengthen protections for money held by property agents. Under the new regulations taking effect from 1 April, all property agents in the private rented sector will be required to join a government-approved scheme to protect their clients’ money while it is in their possession – with fines of up to £30,000 if they fail to do so. In 2017, an estimated £2.7 bn in client funds – such as tenants’ deposits and landlords’ rental payments – was being held by letting agents. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/government-opens-up-new-scheme-to-protect-renters-and-landlords/

Leasehold – Parliamentary Written Answer

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help leaseholders with onerous leases.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We are working with the Law Commission to make it faster, fairer and cheaper for existing leaseholders to extend their lease or buy the freehold. In addition, we have worked with Trading Standards to ensure there is better information on redress, and they recently published guidance to help leaseholders understand where to go if things go wrong, and how they can access support.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-02-26/226011

Government Looks To Ban ‘No DSS’ Letting Adverts

Heather Wheeler, minister for housing and homelessness, has revealed that she would be pushing for “immediate change” to stop letting agents applying ‘No DSS’ rules when advertising for tenants. Out of 4.5 million people currently living in private rented accommodation, around 889,000 receive housing benefit to help pay their rent. However, research by the National Housing Federation and Shelter last August found that 10% of letting agents have a policy not to rent to anyone on housing benefit, regardless of whether they could afford it. The research, which surveyed 149 letting agents, also found that nearly half had no suitable homes or landlords willing to let to someone on housing benefit. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/government-looks-to-ban-no-dss-letting-adverts-60424?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

£19.5m To Unlock Private Rented Sector For Most Vulnerable

Housing Minister Heather Wheeler MP has confirmed over £19.5m is to be shared among 54 projects across England in bids to help thousands of people who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, to secure their own home. Councils are to use the funding boost to help vulnerable people secure their own tenancy through support such as paying deposits or putting down the first month’s rent. The Minister has also outlined plans to look at letting adverts which potentially discriminate against would-be-tenants on Housing Benefit, making clear that these “should end”. According to reports, out of 4.5m households living in private rental accommodation, 889,000 receive housing benefit to help pay rent. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/19-5m-to-unlock-private-rented-sector-for-most-vulnerable/

Housing Minister Under Attack After Blaming Leasehold Buyers For Their Own Plight

Housing minister Heather Wheeler is under fire after apparently blaming home buyers for lumbering themselves with their own leasehold ‘nightmares’. Wheeler apparently refused to accept that thousands of leasehold owners are trapped in homes they cannot sell because of escalating costs. Wheeler is in trouble after telling MPs that buyers were too “excited” and too “caught up in the moment” to read the small print before they bought leasehold homes. Dismissing claims of mis-selling, she said new legislation would trigger a “horrendously expensive” wave of compensation claims. Instead, she called on developers to voluntarily give buyers better terms. Read more on the Property Industry Eye website.

https://www.propertyindustryeye.com/housing-minister-under-attack-after-blaming-leasehold-buyers-for-their-own-plight/