Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the security of tenants in the private rented sector, in particular those affected by (1) the end of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and (2) the reduction in Universal Credit payments.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Universal Credit uplift were important elements of the wider package of support measures introduced by the Government during the pandemic. These measures have effectively prevented a widespread build-up of rent arrears and prevented evictions, by supporting private renters to continue paying their rent.
This is evidenced by the latest published data from the English Housing Survey Household Resilience Study from April – May 2021, which suggested that the vast majority (93%) of private renters are up to date with their rent. Of the 7% (257,000 households) in arrears, 60% are in arrears of less than 1 month.
In 2020/21, there was over a 40% reduction in households owed a homelessness duty following the end of an assured shorthold tenancy, compared with 2019/20.
As emergency measures are lifted, support remains in place for renters through the welfare system. This includes maintained Local Housing Allowance rates at their increased level in cash terms for 2021/22, and for those who need additional support £140m in Discretionary Housing Payments funding, and the new £500 million Household Support Fund.
As our recovery gathers pace, the government is continuing to help people into work and increase their earning potential – the most sustainable route to financial security. We are investing billions through our Plan for Jobs and the Lifetime Skills Guarantee.
We will continue to monitor the impacts of COVID-19 upon renters and are committed to delivering a fairer and more effective rental market that works for both tenants and landlords. This includes repealing Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 to improve security for tenants. We will set out our proposals for reform in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to introduce a new tenant hardship loan scheme to support private sector tenants.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The UK Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support which is available to tenants.
We have targeted our interventions as non-repayable forms of support, which offer a sustainable form of support for vulnerable renters, and do not encourage more debt.
We have extended the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and £20 per week uplift in Universal Credit until the end of September, helping renters to continue paying their rent. Local housing allowance rates have been maintained at their increased level in cash terms in 2021/22, meaning claimants renting in the private rented sector continue to benefit from the significant increase in the local housing allowance rates applied in April 2020. For those who require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available. For 2021-22 the Government has made £140 million available in DHP funding, building on the £180 million provided last year.
Renters will continue to benefit from longer notice periods, giving them more time to make alternative arrangements. As of 1 June, until at least 30 September, notice periods will be at least 4 months except in the most egregious cases.
We continue to monitor the effectiveness of other examples of support, such as those from the devolved administrations in the UK, and note that uptake for loan support has been relatively low in Scotland and Wales.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the National Residents Landlords Association regarding the development of a landlord–tenant conciliation service.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Government holds regular discussions with a wide range of stakeholders, including the National Residents Landlords Association (NRLA) and they have presented their proposals regarding a landlord-tenant conciliation service.
We encourage landlords and tenants to work together to resolve issues and have been piloting a new mediation service since February 2021 as part of the possession process to support landlords and tenants to resolve disputes before a formal hearing takes place. The Government is funding the Society of Mediators to provide this new service and it is free to use for all tenants and landlords that agree to do so.
More broadly, the Government remains committed to proposals that will require private landlords to belong to a redress scheme. This will ensure that all tenants have access to redress where they have a legitimate complaint about their home, and will also make it easier for private landlords to understand their obligations. We re-stated this commitment at the Queen's Speech in May.
We will publish a White Paper detailing our reform programme following engagement with stakeholders.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with HM Courts and Tribunals Service regarding the definition of rent arrears.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
We hold regular discussions with Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service about the operation of the possession process in the county court.
The listing of possession cases for hearing, including the prioritisation of cases based on factors such as outstanding rent arrears, is a judicial function. Temporary court arrangements in response to lifting the stay on possession, detailed in the overall arrangements for possession cases in the county court published in September 2020, provide a guide for the prioritisation of cases as developed by the Master of the Rolls’ Working Group on Possession Proceedings chaired by Justice Robin Knowles. Cases with arrears equal to at least 12 months’ rent, or 9 months’ rent where that amounts to more than 25% of a private landlord’s total annual income from any source, would generally be considered a priority. Justice Knowles has worked with a range of industry stakeholders to implement and review the overall arrangements.
Since August 2020, reduced notice periods for the most serious cases that present the most strain on landlords have been in place. This included serious rent arrears of more than 6 months’ rent although this definition of serious rent arrears was changed from 1 June to cases where there is more than 4 months’ rent outstanding. This allows landlords to progress these cases more quickly. We have also published comprehensive guidance to help landlords and tenants understand and navigate all stages of the possession process, including notice periods and court arrangements.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) rent prices, and (2) availability of housing, in the private rented sector in England and Wales.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Data on rental costs is gathered for the English Housing Survey. The most recent headline report, for 2019-2020, has mean and median rent figures for the last ten years, for London, the rest of England, and all of England, by tenure (private versus social rents). Data is available at Annex Table 1.11, (attached) here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2019-to-2020-headline-report
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government only collects this data for England, as housing is devolved in Wales. We do not publish data on the availability of housing in the private rented sector.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to establish a landlord–tenant conciliation service to deal with private rental issues; and if so, when.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Government has been piloting a new mediation service since February 2021 as part of the possession process to support landlords and tenants to resolve disputes before a formal hearing takes place. The Government is funding the Society of Mediators to provide this new service and it is free to use for all tenants and landlords that agree to do so.
The pilot will help to sustain tenancies wherever possible and support continued engagement between landlords and tenants. It also provides the opportunity to assess the broader use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the courts. We continue to encourage landlords and tenants to work together to resolve issues in all our guidance and in many cases this is happening.
Beyond this, the Government remains committed to proposals that will require private landlords to belong to a redress scheme. This will ensure that all tenants have access to redress where they have a legitimate complaint about their home, and will also make it easier for private landlords to understand their obligations. We re-stated this commitment at the Queen's Speech in May.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made for the timeline for the (1) introduction, and (2) progress, of the Building Safety Bill.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Building Safety Bill was published in draft on 20 July 2020 and has undergone pre-legislative scrutiny by the HCLG Select Committee. The Government has been considering the Committee’s report and recommendations and will introduce the Bill as soon as Parliamentary time allows. We recognise that these are important public safety measures; that is why the Government is committed to progressing the Bill as quickly as possible, so that reforms can be implemented in a timely manner and residents can feel safe, and be safe, in their homes.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with community-based organisations about supporting BAME communities to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Government has been engaging with community-based organisations to reach, engage and communicate with those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, in particular people from Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. Through our community champions scheme we are working with organisations, such as Strengthening Faith Institutions and Near Neighbours, that have successful track record of delivering initiatives in grass root communities to support BAME communities recover from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.
These organisations work directly with communities to identify and train community champions. Government is working with them to promote relational community engagement, including up-to-date public health messages and to promote positive messages within government guidelines on how to make local activities safer. Government is also working with them to develop resilience and increase mechanisms for outreach, communication and engagement, and is developing strategic communications which trains those communities and supports BAME community organisations to sustain, scale-up and develop COVID-19 response projects and activities to recover from impact of the pandemic.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive about their decision to open an office of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in Belfast.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
We are committed to moving more civil servants out of London and closer to the communities they serve - including Northern Ireland. We will shortly start recruiting civil servants to be based in Northern Ireland, to help implement new UK-wide investment programmes announced in the Budget, benefitting from local knowledge of projects coming forward and working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive and others to maximise investment opportunities.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the support required by the built environment sector to adapt to the Future Homes Standard.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
We expect that homes built to the Future Homes Standard will have carbon dioxide emissions 75-80 per cent lower than those built to current Building Regulations standards, which means they will be fit for the future, with low carbon heating and very high fabric standards. These homes will be ‘zero carbon ready’, with the ability to become fully zero carbon homes over time as the electricity grid decarbonises, without the need for further costly retrofitting work.
Some home-builders are already building to fabric standards above the current Building Regulations or installing low carbon heating systems, but it is important that all parts of industry are ready to build homes that are fit for a zero carbon future.
Our October 2019 consultation on an interim uplift to energy efficiency requirements acknowledged that in order to meet the Future Homes Standard, industry will need time to develop the necessary supply chains, skills and construction practices to deliver homes that incorporate low-carbon heat and very high fabric standards.
The consultation set out a proposed implementation timeline for the Future Homes Standard, with indicative timings for further research, industry engagement and a full technical consultation. We anticipate that the two-stage approach that we are taking to implementing the Future Homes Standard will help to prepare the necessary supply chains by encouraging the use of low-carbon heating in new homes, while accounting for the skills of industry and market factors.
We will be publishing the Government response to the Future Homes Standard interim uplift consultation as soon as possible and this will set out a roadmap to the Future Homes Standard.