Right to Acquire Scheme – Parliamentary Written Answer

Tom Blenkinsop:  To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to make the level of discount received for tenants who exercise the Right to Acquire the same as for those who exercise the Right to Buy.

Brandon Lewis: The Government has a manifesto commitment to extend the Right to Buy to housing association tenants. The voluntary agreement we have made with the National Housing Federation will give 1.3 million housing association tenants the opportunity to buy their home with an equivalent discount to the Right to Buy, delivering the manifesto commitment. This will include those tenants who currently have a Right to Acquire.

Lawyers Question Cameron’s Pledge to Housing-Association Tenants

Cameron’s pledge to offer a right to buy to all housing-association tenants has been questioned by housing lawyers. A briefing note accompanying the Queen’s speech stated that a forthcoming Housing Bill would “enable the extension of right- to-buy levels of discount to housing association tenants”. Lawyers say that the wording of the pledge would allow the Government to widen access to home ownership by extending the “right to acquire” rather than introducing a new right to buy. Extending the right to acquire would limit the sell-off. It would allow housing associations to protect properties that are specially adapted or designed for sheltered accommodation, and they could make a strong legal case for exempting all properties built before 1997, many of which were never funded by government. Read more on the Independent website.

Landlords Plot Strategy over Right to Buy Plans

Social landlords are lobbying the government to minimise the impact of the extended Right to Buy policy.  The government has yet to confirm many key details of how the policy will work and landlords are now in wide-ranging discussions to try and shape the policy. A prominent housing sector figure said sector figures are trying to establish the level of ‘political will’ behind the introduction of the policy as this would be key in deciding how much mitigation could be achieved. Landlords are understood to be pushing for the government to bring in the policy in the form of an extension of the current Right to Acquire, which would not require primary legislation. This would mean homes built or bought by housing associations before 31 March 1997 would be excluded. Read more on Inside Housing.

End In Sight for Right to Buy In Wales

Swansea Council has been given permission by the Welsh Government to suspend the right to buy for five years to help it tackle local housing pressures. The decision comes as Wales seeks views from the public on plans to ditch the controversial policy across the entire country. Earlier this year, the Welsh Government published a White Paper setting out the intention to end Right to Buy and Right to Acquire in order to protect Wales’ social housing stock. The consultation closes on 16 April. Read more on the South Wales Argus website.

Landlords Threaten Legal Action over Right to Buy Extension

Sector leaders would challenge any government attempt to extend the Right to Buy policy for housing associations in court. The Conservatives are widely reported to be planning to include an extension of the controversial policy to housing association tenants in its forthcoming election manifesto. Housing association tenants can access the right to acquire – which gives less generous discounts – or preserved Right to Buy if their landlord’s stock was transferred from the local authority. David Montague, chief executive of L&Q, said he ‘would be surprised if it wasn’t challenged legally’. Read more on Inside Housing.

HCA’s Latest Statistical Data Return

The Statistical Data Return (SDR) is an annual online survey completed by all English private registered providers of social housing (PRPs). It collects data on stock size, types, location and rents at 31 March each year, and data on sales and acquisitions made between 1 April and 31 March. The HCA released the latest SDR data in September 2014. The key trends were:

•          Private registered providers of social housing (PRPs) reported 2,666,053 units/bedspaces owned at 31 March 2014, an increase of 0.6% on the total for 2013.
•         Affordable Rent stock has increased by 102%
•          Stock sold to tenants under the Right to Buy (RTB), Preserved Right to Buy (PRTB) and Right to Acquire (RTA) schemes has increased by 78%
•          The average net rent for general needs stock owned by PRPs with more than 1,000 units/bedspaces was £92.30.

Read more on the HCA website.

Deregulation Bill

As announced in the Queen’s Speech on 8 May, the Deregulation Bill would be part of the Government’s agenda to reduce the burden of excessive or unnecessary regulation where primary legislation is required. The Bill will be published in draft for pre-legislative scrutiny. Many other regulations

are being scrapped and reformed either administratively or via secondary legislation.  The Deregulation Bill is of particular interest to housing providers in that it reduces the qualifying period for Right to Buy and Right to Acquire from five years to three years.  The full version of the Queen’s Speech is available at the Parliament website.

Right to Buy Scheme – Parliamentary Written Answer

Mr Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has considered the merits of extending the (a) Right to Buy and (b) Right to Acquire home ownership scheme to cover properties categorised as sheltered accommodation.
Grant Shapps: There are no plans to review the provisions which exclude certain types of property from the Right to Buy and Right to Acquire scheme. This is to ensure that social landlords are able to retain a stock of housing that is suitable for occupation by vulnerable people, in particular those who are elderly or disabled, or those who need a particular level of support.