Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effects of clauses 16B and 16C of the Renters (Reform) Bill on blocks of flats whose leases prohibit pets which may cause a nuisance.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Renters (Reform) Bill provides landlords with added flexibility where they need to obtain the consent of a superior landlord when considering any request for a pet. It will be reasonable for landlords to refuse a request where accepting a pet would breach an agreement with a superior landlord.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the Renters (Reform) Bill will make leases in apartment blocks banning short lets illegal.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is aware that stakeholders have raised concerns about this issue and is considering whether any mitigations might be needed.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to end the shortage of private rental accommodation; and whether such steps include restoring tax relief on buy to let mortgages.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is driving up the supply of new homes by diversifying the market, investing in affordable housing, and increasing land supply for new homes by investing in infrastructure. We welcome new institutional investment in the private rented sector and have made a number of interventions to support the Build to Rent sector.
Since 2010, there have been a range of policy changes affecting private landlords, including tax changes for buy-to-let landlords. Specifically on mortgage interest, landlords are able to claim tax relief at the basic rate on finance costs for their rental property. Landlords also continue to be able to claim relief at their marginal rate of income tax on the day-to-day costs incurred in letting out a property, such as letting agent fees and replacing furniture. As with all matters of taxation, the Treasury keeps this policy under regular review, and any decision on future changes will be taken in the context of the wider public finances.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the abolition of assured shorthold tenancies on those seeking a mortgage from mortgage companies which require tenancies of at least six months without a break.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Renters (Reform) Bill will deliver a fairer deal for renters and landlords, removing Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) to abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions. This will provide tenants with more security.
The Government has considered the impact of removing ASTs and continues to engage with stakeholders, including the financial sector, on the impact of the reforms. Financial products continue to be available in Scotland, where similar reforms have been implemented.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the availability of long-term rental properties in holiday resorts and city centres as a result of the introduction of periodic tenancies.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is providing tenants with a fairer deal, moving to periodic tenancies for all renters. This will protect tenants from the injustice of being forced to pay for unsafe or non-decent homes, and retain the flexibility that is one of the key benefits of renting in the PRS.
The two Government consultations on the 'Introduction of a use class for short term lets and associated permitted development rights' and the 'Consultation on a registration scheme for short-term lets in England' closed on 7 June. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department for Culture Media and Sport are in the process of analysing responses for their respective consultations. Further announcements will be made in due course.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the report by Zoopla that the number of homes available to rent in the UK has fallen by a third over the past 18 months; and what steps they are taking to deal with the declining availability of rental properties.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government recognises that demand is currently outstripping the supply of properties available to let. The reasons for this are difficult to disentangle, but we believe it is due to a mixture of demographic changes, including domestic and international migration, and pent-up demand following the pandemic.
The number of rented properties has doubled since 2004 – peaking in 2016 and remaining roughly stable since.
We are driving up the supply of new homes by diversifying the market, investing in affordable housing, and increasing land supply for new homes by investing in infrastructure. We also remain committed to continue working towards our ambition of delivering 300,000 homes per year to help create a more sustainable and affordable housing market.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 17 March (HL6130), what assessment they have made of the research conducted by CarbonLaces which found that Energy Performance Certificates overestimate energy use by 344 per cent.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out previously, ministers keep the EPC system under review.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to introduce a bill to address the issue of leasehold reform.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As has been the case under successive administrations, announcements about future legislation will be set out in the normal way.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people in England over the age of 18 live in leasehold properties.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department does not hold this data.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what forms of redress are available for those with complaints against letting agencies where they are not members of recognised industry standards associations.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As part of a fair and just housing system, the Government is committed to making sure that landlords and tenants are protected from abuse and poor service. This is why we introduced in October 2014 a legal requirement for letting and managing agents in England to belong to one of the two Government-approved redress schemes. Agents who fail to comply can be fined up to £5,000. The two schemes are: The Property Ombudsman (https://www.tpos.co.uk/) and the Property Redress Scheme (https://www.theprs.co.uk/).
Whether or not letting agencies choose to also be members of an industry standards association, landlords and agents have access to redress via the redress schemes.