Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he is making in his plans to enable more people to have longer tenancies than the typical six months which is generally offered.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Government is committed to protecting the rights of tenants and giving them more security. We recently consulted on ways to overcome the barriers to landlords offering longer, more secure tenancies in the private rented sector.
We are considering responses to the consultation and will be bringing forward proposals that make the system work for both tenants and landlords. We will provide more information on next steps shortly.
In the meantime, there is nothing to stop landlords offering a longer tenancy. We have published a model tenancy agreement which landlords and tenants can use as the basis for longer, family friendly tenancies, available for free at www.gov.uk/government/publications/model-agreement-for-a-shorthold-assured-tenancy. In addition, the measures announced in the Housing White Paper resulted in many of the largest build to rent operators offering their tenants the option of longer tenancies.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has plans to introduce legislative proposals to replicate the provisions of the Freehold Properties (Management Charges and Shared Facilities) Bill 2017-19 introduced by the Hon Member for Bishop Auckland.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government has committed to ensuring that freeholders who pay charges for the maintenance of communal areas and facilities on a private or mixed tenure estate can access equivalent rights as leaseholders to challenge their reasonableness. In addition, we have committed to protecting leaseholders who are suffering at the hands of rogue managing agents every day from unexpected costs or excessive fees for poor quality repairs.
We intend to create a new statutory regime for freeholders based on the leaseholder rights contained in the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. This will ensure maintenance charges must be reasonably incurred and services provided are of an acceptable standard. We will provide freeholders with the ability to challenge the reasonableness of the charges they are required to pay towards the maintenance of communal areas and facilities at the First-tier Tribunal. We are also considering whether freeholders should have a right to change the provider of maintenance services by applying to the tribunal for the appointment of a new manager. We will bring forward legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
We have asked Lord Best to chair a working group to look at regulating and professionalising property agents. This includes reviewing the standards around the transparency of service charges and other fees and charges, how they are presented to consumers and putting them into a statutory code for managing agents. Lord Best’s working group will report back to Ministers later this summer.
We are also looking at the future use of charges and restrictions beyond service charges – such as permission fees, administration charges and other restrictions and covenants faced by leaseholders and resident freeholders, and consider whether they should be capped or banned. We will consider this alongside Lord Bests proposals.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his forthcoming legislation on excessive fees charged in relation to leasehold homes will also regulate charges levied on the owners of freehold homes by developers for maintaining common areas in housing estates.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government has committed to ensuring that freeholders who pay charges for the maintenance of communal areas and facilities on a private or mixed tenure estate can access equivalent rights as leaseholders to challenge their reasonableness. In addition, we have committed to protecting leaseholders who are suffering at the hands of rogue managing agents every day from unexpected costs or excessive fees for poor quality repairs.
We intend to create a new statutory regime for freeholders based on the leaseholder rights contained in the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. This will ensure maintenance charges must be reasonably incurred and services provided are of an acceptable standard. We will provide freeholders with the ability to challenge the reasonableness of the charges they are required to pay towards the maintenance of communal areas and facilities at the First-tier Tribunal. We are also considering whether freeholders should have a right to change the provider of maintenance services by applying to the tribunal for the appointment of a new manager. We will bring forward legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
We have asked Lord Best to chair a working group to look at regulating and professionalising property agents. This includes reviewing the standards around the transparency of service charges and other fees and charges, how they are presented to consumers and putting them into a statutory code for managing agents. Lord Best’s working group will report back to Ministers later this summer.
We are also looking at the future use of charges and restrictions beyond service charges – such as permission fees, administration charges and other restrictions and covenants faced by leaseholders and resident freeholders, and consider whether they should be capped or banned. We will consider this alongside Lord Bests proposals.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to tackle excessive fees charged to freehold homeowners by developers for maintaining common areas in housing estates.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government has committed to ensuring that freeholders who pay charges for the maintenance of communal areas and facilities on a private or mixed tenure estate can access equivalent rights as leaseholders to challenge their reasonableness. In addition, we have committed to protecting leaseholders who are suffering at the hands of rogue managing agents every day from unexpected costs or excessive fees for poor quality repairs.
We intend to create a new statutory regime for freeholders based on the leaseholder rights contained in the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. This will ensure maintenance charges must be reasonably incurred and services provided are of an acceptable standard. We will provide freeholders with the ability to challenge the reasonableness of the charges they are required to pay towards the maintenance of communal areas and facilities at the First-tier Tribunal. We are also considering whether freeholders should have a right to change the provider of maintenance services by applying to the tribunal for the appointment of a new manager. We will bring forward legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
We have asked Lord Best to chair a working group to look at regulating and professionalising property agents. This includes reviewing the standards around the transparency of service charges and other fees and charges, how they are presented to consumers and putting them into a statutory code for managing agents. Lord Best’s working group will report back to Ministers later this summer.
We are also looking at the future use of charges and restrictions beyond service charges – such as permission fees, administration charges and other restrictions and covenants faced by leaseholders and resident freeholders, and consider whether they should be capped or banned. We will consider this alongside Lord Bests proposals.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the legislation he plans to bring forward to tackle excessive charges levied on leaseholders will apply to existing arrangements or only to new homes completed after the legislation comes into force.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Government is committed to leaseholders receiving fair and transparent charges. For this reason, we asked Lord Best and his Property Agent Working Group to consider leasehold service charges. This includes reviewing the standards around the transparency of service charges and other fees and charges, how they are presented to consumers and putting them into a statutory code for managing agents, which will be beneficial to all leaseholders. We expect to receive the Working Group's recommendations this summer and we will respond with our plans later this year.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on tackling excessive charges levied on the owners of leasehold homes.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Government is committed to leaseholders receiving fair and transparent charges. For this reason, we asked Lord Best and his Property Agent Working Group to consider leasehold service charges. This includes reviewing the standards around the transparency of service charges and other fees and charges, how they are presented to consumers and putting them into a statutory code for managing agents, which will be beneficial to all leaseholders. We expect to receive the Working Group's recommendations this summer and we will respond with our plans later this year.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what environmental impact assessment his Department has carried out in relation to the proposed changes to the planning rules relating to Sites of Interest for Nature Conservation contained in the National Planning Policy Framework.
Answered by Dominic Raab
We have not conducted a formal environmental impact assessment of the draft changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). However we have engaged a wide range of relevant stakeholders, including environmental organisations, through our consultation on the draft to consider the potential impacts of the proposed revisions. The revised NPPF and the Government’s response will be published this Summer.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to retain the current level of protection for Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.
Answered by Dominic Raab
This Government is committed to ensuring clarity around environmental protections in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). We engaged relevant stakeholders, including environmental organisations, during the consultation on the revised NPPF. The consultation closed on 10 May 2018 and we are currently considering responses. The revised NPPF and the Government’s response will be published this summer.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what meeting he has held with organisations on the proposed changes to the planning rules relating to Sites of Interest for Nature Conservation, set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.
Answered by Dominic Raab
This Government is committed to ensuring clarity around environmental protections in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). We engaged relevant stakeholders, including environmental organisations, during the consultation on the revised NPPF. The consultation closed on 10 May 2018 and we are currently considering responses. The revised NPPF and the Government’s response will be published this summer.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what environmental impact assessment he has carried out in relation to the proposed revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework; and if he will place a copy of the assessments in the Library.
Answered by Dominic Raab
We have not conducted a formal environmental impact assessment of the draft changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). However we have engaged a wide range of relevant stakeholders, including environmental organisations, through our consultation on the draft to consider the potential impacts of the proposed revisions. The revised NPPF and the Government’s response will be published this Summer.