Crisis Looming In Supply Of Rented Properties

Landlords are warning of a rented housing supply crisis as a new survey shows more landlords are selling properties than buying whilst demand continues to increase. According to research by the Residential Landlords Association, almost 25 per cent of landlords have seen the demand for private rented property increase over the last three months. The growth in demand comes as the supply of private rented housing continues to fall. According to the research over the next 12 months 31 per cent of landlords plan to sell at least one property with just 13 per cent saying they plan to buy at least one. Read more on the RLA website.

https://news.rla.org.uk/crisis-looming-in-supply-of-rented-properties/

Grants To Move To Support Residents and Free Up Housing Stock

Harrow Council is working to ease the current housing crisis by offering a grant for existing council tenants to downsize or move into private accommodation. The Grants to Move scheme gives people advice and financial support to move into accommodation of their choice. Any moves will help to free up some of the 5,000 council or housing association properties in the borough for people on Harrow’s 4,000 strong council house waiting list. The scheme will also save the council money. Harrow Council spends around £3m a year on housing need service which includes putting families up in temporary accommodation. For example, the cost of putting up a family, which would be eligible for a four bedroom property, in temporary accommodation could cost around £16,000 a year. Read more on the Harrow Council website.

Call for Suspension of Right to Buy

Boris Johnson has been told to lobby for a suspension of right to buy on new council homes in the capital in a London Assembly report. The housing committee has called for councils to be given a ‘right not to sell’ where appropriate, and said the government should impose a moratorium on the sale of all new family-sized council homes in London.  The report says councils are struggling to replace homes which are sold, as it takes 1.6 right to buy sales to build one private home. It also criticises the ‘absurd situation’ of councils having to rent back old stock from private landlords who ‘abused the system’ by buying the house and then letting it. Read more on the London.Gov website.

£1 Million Funding Boost For Single Homeless People

Communities Minister Don Foster has announced a cash boost of up to £1 million to support single homeless people. The funding will help them to find a safe and secure roof in privately rented accommodation.  Mr Foster allocated up to £800,000 for homelessness charity Crisis to fund schemes to set up new shared tenancies for single homeless people in privately rented accommodation.  The minister also announced a further £230,000 for the charity to continue its Private Rented Sector Access Programme, which works with local landlords to help vulnerable people find the homes they need in privately rented accommodation.  Read more on the Gov.uk website.

'Cash Incentive' For Council Tenants Moving Abroad

Council tenants in a London borough could be offered cash incentives to move abroad.  Harrow Council said offers of up to £20,000 could be made to those who were "already considering moving abroad" and it would be "entirely their choice".  It was one of the ideas presented to tenants and leaseholders at a meeting looking into freeing up housing stock. Moving tenants into smaller homes and into private accommodation were other options being considered.  The local authority said it had 5,000 homes, which was one of the smallest stocks of social housing in the capital. It stressed the ideas discussed were at a "very early stage".  Read more on the BBC website.