Covid Homeless Scheme Not Leading To Permanent Accommodation

Fewer than one in four homeless people housed by the government's Everyone In scheme have moved into permanent accommodation, according to figures seen by the BBC. The initiative provided over 37,000 rough sleepers with a place to stay during the pandemic. But housing charity Shelter warned many were still in temporary homes or may even be back on the streets. The government said the figures were "misleading". Read more on the BBC website.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58334379 

‘Acute’ Shortage Of UK Homes Expected To Run Until 2022

There is an “acute” shortage of homes available for sale, Zoopla said, with the market facing its greatest shortage since the property listing portal’s records began in 2015. This comes as the average price of a house went up by 7.6% over the last 12 months. Buyer demand remains strong, up 20.5% in July compared to the 2020 average. Stock levels are down 26.4% compared to last year's average, and down even more (33%) compared “with the more normal” pre-pandemic markets of 2018 and 2019, Zoopla said. Read more on Yahoo Finance.

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/acute-shortage-of-uk-homes-expected-to-run-until-2022-230141094.html 

Khan Sets Out Plans To Help House Afghan Refugees

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced plans to help the city’s councils and housing associations support the arrival of Afghan refugees. Mr Khan said he will expand his new Right to Buy-back fund to help councils purchase homes which could be used to resettle families arriving from Afghanistan. Housing associations are also being encouraged to apply for funding for suitable homes that can be delivered quickly. Read more on the Evening Standard website.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/sadiq-khan-mayor-plans-help-afghan-refugees-london-b952414.html 

House Sales Tumble In July After Stamp Duty Holiday Deadline

House sales tumbled by almost two-thirds in July after tens of thousands of homebuyers rushed to complete their purchases in order to beat the end-of-June stamp duty holiday deadline. Following a record surge in activity in June, when 213,370 UK homes changed hands, transactions slumped 62% to 82,110 in July according to official data, after the government scaled back its tax break for buyers in England and Northern Ireland. HM Revenue and Customs – which published the new data – said it showed that homebuyers were “completing property transactions earlier to take advantage of government housing market policies”. HMRC also said that following the changes to the rules, “an expected but noticeable decrease [in sales] has been observed”. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/aug/24/uk-house-sales-stamp-duty-holiday-deadline-tax-break

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

Consumer 'Confusion' Threatens Net Zero Homes Plan

Government plans to decarbonise homes are too complicated and confusing, according to a coalition of consumer and industry groups. They've written to the prime minister to say that current schemes to adapt homes go wrong far too often. The open letter, from Citizens Advice and others, calls for more financial support for making changes. Otherwise, they argue, efforts to curb emissions from millions of homes in the UK will be at risk. Read more on the BBC website.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58320578 

L&Q: ‘Virtually All’ Tall Building Inspections Find Significant Defects

In its annual report, the landlord said an intrusive survey programme of its 192 blocks that are 18 metres and taller is “ongoing” and that all “higher-risk” buildings have been inspected. The survey programme of all blocks 18 metres or higher is due to finish next month. “Given that virtually all invasive surveys to date have uncovered significant building defects, this is likely to give rise to the need for significant investment in stock,” the annual report said. Read more on the Social Housing website.

https://www.socialhousing.co.uk/news/lq-virtually-all-tall-building-inspections-find-significant-defects-72225?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60 

Warmer, Greener And Cheaper Homes

Warmer, greener and cheaper social homes are on the way for tens of thousands of people living in social housing in England. Tens of thousands of people across England are set to benefit from warmer, greener social homes, with social housing providers given the chance to bid for government funding to make major improvements to their stock.

·         this investment will help tenants cut emissions while saving around £170 per year on energy bills

·         part of wider £9 billion commitment to increase the energy efficiency of homes, schools and hospitals – driving forward the Prime Minister’s ambitious 10 Point Plan for a green industrial revolution

Read more on the GovUK website.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/warmer-greener-and-cheaper-homes-as-government-opens-a-triple-win-upgrade-for-social-housing

The Pros And Cons Of New Home Ownership Schemes

With no end in sight to thehousing crisis, investors are increasingly looking at ways to monetise Generation Rent with a series of alternative home ownership schemes funded by the private sector. The latest offering is a “gradual homeownership” proposition launched by Wayhome. Unlike traditional shared ownership models Wayhome is backed by pension funds and teams up with buyers to purchase resale properties costing between £200,000 and £500,000. The buyers must have a household income of at least £30,000 and be able to put down a five per cent deposit. For a property worth £500,000 this would mean an initial £25,000. Read more on the Evening Standard website.

https://www.standard.co.uk/homesandproperty/buying-mortgages/pros-and-cons-new-home-ownership-schemes-generation-rent-b951070.html

House Prices: Demand Changes, Not Tax Waiver, Pushed Prices Up

The current house prices boom was not caused by the stamp duty holiday, a new report has argued. The Resolution Foundation says prices will keep rising because of pandemic-related factors like low interest rates and changing home preferences. In fact, the think tank says the tax holiday was "wasteful" and HMRC lost out on about £4.4bn of taxes in England and Northern Ireland as a result. The Treasury said the policy saved jobs by stimulating the housing market. Between June 2020 and June 2021, the average value of a UK home increased 13.2%. Read more on the BBC website.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58274811 

Proposals To Help People Build Their Own Homes Welcomed By Housing Secretary

Proposals to help more people build their own homes have been ‘warmly welcomed’ by Robert Jenrick. Richard Bacon MP’s review of Custom and Self Build finds huge potential in the sector which could deliver 30-40,000 more homes every year, and recommends a major-scaling up of self-built homes to boost the overall housing supply. The report was commissioned to improve the housebuilding industry by giving customers more choice, and to make home building a mainstream, realistic and affordable option for people across the country. Read more on the GovUK website.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/proposals-to-help-people-build-their-own-homes-welcomed-by-housing-secretary-robert-jenrick

ITV Exposes Weaknesses Of Housing Regulation – Again

This excellent HQN opinion piece by Roger Jarman, former Head of Housing, Audit Commission, neatly summarises the events of the last 13 or 14 years which has brought us to the point where the Regulator of Social Housing isn’t allowed to even speak to service users (or tenants as we know them). Roger relates how the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) came into being following the Cave Review in 2007, how it was scrapped by a Coalition Government which wanted little or no regulation, how – at the assistance of housing associations’ money lenders - this lead to a regulator more concerned with governance and financial viability than consumer standards. Then came the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the failure of this regulatory system was clear for all to see.

https://hqnetwork.co.uk/news/opinion-itv-exposes-weaknesses-of-housing-regulation-again-5553 

Rents: Arrears – Parliamentary Written Answer

Lord Carrington: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their press release Support for renters continues with longer notice periods, published on 12 May, on what grounds they have concluded that many landlords are “highly vulnerable to rent arrears”.

Lord Greenhalgh: We know that 45% of landlords have just one rental property and 38% have between two to four properties. For most landlords, income from rent makes up 42% of their total gross income making them highly vulnerable when their tenants build up rent arrears. The Government has to balance supporting tenants with landlords' ability to exercise their right to justice where needed. As national restrictions continue to ease, it is appropriate that the emergency measures start to lift but we are doing so gradually.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2021-07-14/HL2002 

Demand For Rental Housing At A Five Year High

The demand for private rented housing has reached a five year high according to new research released by the NRLA following the easing of COVID restrictions.  The survey of private landlords across England and Wales found that 39 per cent confirmed that demand for homes to rent had increased in the second quarter of 2021 – an eight per cent increase on the first quarter of the year. This data also reveals that demand has reached a five-year high, with demand only reaching a similar peak in in the first quarter of 2016. Demand has increased largely due to the relaxation of COVID restrictions and a more buoyant economic outlook. Read more on the NRLA website.

https://www.nrla.org.uk/news/demand-for-rental-housing-at-a-five-year-high

Market Shows Signs Of Stabilising After Stamp Duty Holiday

The supply of property is beginning to increase and the number of homes selling for over the asking price is starting to even out, according to the latest data from NAEA Propertymark. Its figures show that the number of properties available per member branch stood at 28 in July, a slight jump from June’s figure of 23.However, year-on-year this is the lowest figure ever on record for the month of July with the previous lowest July being during 2017 when there were 35 houses available to buy per branch. Read more on the Property Reporter website.

https://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/property/property-market-shows-signs-of-stabilising-after-stamp-duty-holiday-naea.html

‘Use Empty Homes To Tackle Homelessness Crisis’, Say Brits

Seven out of 10 Brits believe that empty properties should be used to tackle the homelessness crisis, according to research by GoodMove. There are 288,539 empty houses in Britain, 75% of which are in England, 16% of which are in Scotland and 9% of which are in Wales. Shelter estimates that one in every 200 people in the UK are homeless, and there are around 95,000 households in temporary accommodation. Read more on the Mortgage Strategy website.

https://www.mortgagestrategy.co.uk/news/use-empty-homes-to-tackle-homelessness-crisis-say-brits/ 

Stamp Duty Land Tax – Parliamentary Written Answer

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to extend the stamp duty holiday; and if they do have such plans, what assessment they have made of the impact of an extension on the benefits to local economies.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government does not plan to extend the SDLT holiday. The SDLT holiday was a temporary measure introduced in July 2020 to create immediate momentum in the property market, supporting jobs in the industry. The £500,000 threshold was stepped down to £250,000 on 1 July 2021 and will return to the normal level of £125,000 on 1 October 2021.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2021-07-20/HL2244 

Government Must Tackle Rent Debt Crisis

Propertymark, along with other organisations, has called on the Government to complete and publish a full assessment on how its decision to freeze Local Housing Allowance and cut Universal Credit has impacted renters. During the pandemic, the Government took steps to prevent a housing debt crisis – which included the restoration of LHA rates and increasing the UC Personal Allowance. However, the number of private rented households in receipt of UC increased by almost 107 per cent between February 2020 and February 2021. Additionally, the Government confirmed that where households are struggling to make ends meet they have an average £100 per month gap between the housing support received and the rent they must pay. Read more on the NRLA website.

https://www.nrla.org.uk/news/warning-issued-over-impact-of-benefit-cuts-on-renters 

Help To Buy Prices Stay 'Comfortably' Below Regional Price Caps

The Whathouse? New Homes Index, which tracks Help to Buy average new build prices across Britain, has revealed that prices are comfortably below the regional price cap limits in all regions. This is, Whathouse believes, a sign that concerns over the new Help to Buy scheme - which came into effect 1 April 2021 - and potential lack of affordability are not playing out.  This provides reassurance to first-time buyers now able to benefit from the scheme, with many having made the most of lockdown to save the 5% deposit required to get onto the property ladder. Read more on the Property Reporter website.

https://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/property/help-to-buy-prices-stay-comfortably-below-regional-price-caps.html 

Letting Agents Call For Dedicated Housing Court

Letting agents have called on the government to create a dedicated Housing Court system within England and Wales to prevent a ‘catastrophic’ situation when ‘no fault’ Section 21 notice evictions are abolished. Agent trade body Propertymark has used the Law Commission’s latest reform proposal programme to call for a new system of dedicated courts, which would replace the current County Court system. It says the current system is in need of urgent reform because, even before Covid struck, the time taken from claim to repossession was getting longer and longer – reaching on average 21 weeks. Read more on the Negotiator website.

https://thenegotiator.co.uk/letting-agents-call-for-dedicated-housing-court-to-avoid-evictions-catastrophe/