Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of measures to help people without a guarantor access private rental tenancies.
Answered by Jacob Young
The Renters (Reform) Bill will deliver the Government’s commitment to a fairer private rented sector – improving the system for responsible tenants and good faith landlords.
The Government strongly encourages landlords and letting agents to assess the suitability of potential tenants on an individual basis. To ensure a sustainable tenancy for both parties, landlords and letting agents may require a guarantor for a tenancy.
The Department recognises that providing a guarantor can be difficult for some. We would encourage prospective tenants to discuss their individual circumstances with the letting agent or landlord about alternative forms of reference that might be acceptable. Local authorities may offer rent deposit, bond and guarantee schemes to help people on low incomes or at risk of homelessness.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to ensure women at risk of exploitation are placed in (a) local authority and (b) housing association accommodation rather than the private rental sector.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide temporary accommodation for households owed the main homelessness duty until suitable long-term accommodation can be offered to them. The accommodation must be suitable in relation to the applicant and to all members of their household.
Housing authorities have a continuing obligation to keep the suitability of accommodation under review.
Everyone should be able to feel safe in their home and sexual exploitation of tenants has no place in our society. It is important that local authorities and the police work to tackle this issue and take action against criminal landlords.
The Renters (Reform) Bill, which has been developed in consultation with the Home Office and local authorities, includes provisions which will help to drive out criminal behaviour. These include increased investigatory and enforcement powers to help local authorities crack down on criminal landlords, and amending the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 to provide local authorities with new powers to issue fines, as an alternative to prosecution, to those who illegally evict or harass tenants.
Housing First is a model in which rough sleepers with the most complex needs are provided with stable, affordable accommodation and intensive wrap-around support to help them recover from complex issues and sustain their tenancies. This includes, but is not limited to, victims of sexual violence.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to prevent rough sleeping (a) through the use of social housing and (b) by reforming the private rental sector.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
In September 2022, we published our new cross-government strategy 'Ending Rough Sleeping for Good', setting out how we are investing £2 billion over three years to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, and our prevention first approach.
The Government has committed to continue working towards its ambition of delivering 300,000 homes per year to help create a more sustainable and affordable housing market. Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country. And the Local Authority Housing Fund will help ensure a new supply of social housing for communities across the country, especially those who have been most generous in welcoming arrivals from Afghanistan and Ukraine.
The Renters (Reform) Bill was introduced into Parliament on 17 May. The Bill will deliver a fairer, more secure, and higher quality private rented sector that is fit for the 21st century. The date for Second Reading of the Bill is subject to parliamentary scheduling and will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of ending fixed-term rental contracts on (a) the number of houses available to rent and (b) trends in the level of rental costs.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The green-rated Impact Assessment for the Renters (Reform) Bill provides analysis of the impacts of reforms, including analysis on supply and rents.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2023 to Question 192669 on Private Rented Housing: Guarantees, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Renters Reform Bill on family members, acting as a guarantor, who are being pursued for rent payments in the event of the death of a tenant.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Renters (Reform) Bill will generally abolish fixed-term tenancies so that a rental agreement can be ended with 2 months' notice at any point, meaning parties will not be obliged to pay rent for lengthy fixed terms.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made how many families who have been pursued by landlords for rental payments through guarantor schemes following the death of a relative in the last three years.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Department does not hold information relating to specific clauses within guarantor agreements. I refer the Hon. Member to the Renters (Reform) Bill that is awaiting second reading in the Commons.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, for what reasons does the Renters Reform Bill not make reference to three-year fixed rental agreements.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
I refer the Hon. Member to my remarks during the debate titled Private Rented Sector: Regulation on 24 May 2023 (Official Report, Volume 733, Column 123WH).
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what analysis they have carried out to assess the impact of recent and forthcoming legislation on the supply of new and existing rental accommodation in the private sector.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The number of rented properties has almost doubled since 2004 – peaking in 2016 and remaining roughly stable since. In fact, the most recent data shows that the number of PRS properties increased by 11,000 in the year to March 2022.
We are committed to robust monitoring and evaluating of the private rented sector reform programme and its impact on the sector. The Renters (Reform) Bill Impact Assessment is currently being scrutinised by the Regulatory Policy Committee and we will publish it during the Bill's passage through Parliament.
We recognise that good landlords play a vital role in providing homes for millions of people across the country. We have designed our reforms to ensure landlords can continue to invest and have confidence in the market.
The government has made a number of interventions to support the Build to Rent sector, boosting housing supply, diversifying the private rental sector, and increasing quality and choice for renters in cities and towns across England.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to incentivise existing and new potential landlords to invest in the supply of private rented accommodation.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The number of rented properties has almost doubled since 2004 – peaking in 2016 and remaining roughly stable since. In fact, the most recent data shows that the number of PRS properties increased by 11,000 in the year to March 2022.
We are committed to robust monitoring and evaluating of the private rented sector reform programme and its impact on the sector. The Renters (Reform) Bill Impact Assessment is currently being scrutinised by the Regulatory Policy Committee and we will publish it during the Bill's passage through Parliament.
We recognise that good landlords play a vital role in providing homes for millions of people across the country. We have designed our reforms to ensure landlords can continue to invest and have confidence in the market.
The government has made a number of interventions to support the Build to Rent sector, boosting housing supply, diversifying the private rental sector, and increasing quality and choice for renters in cities and towns across England.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether it his policy that the power under Clause 5(7) of the Renters (Reform ) Bill will only be used to apply to assured tenancies which are not social housing where the rent of the assured tenancy does not exceed the rent of an equivalent property let in the social housing sector.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Further to the answer given to Question UIN 185473 on 22 May 2023, updated dwelling stock estimates published today continue to show that supply within the private rented sector is roughly stable.
We are continuing to monitor the private rented sector, through sources such as the English Housing Survey and ONS Rental Price Index.
The Renters (Reform) Bill exempts Private Registered Providers of Social Housing (PRPSH) offering assured tenancies of social housing from these changes. These are defined as a ‘relevant low-cost tenancy’. The power allows the Secretary of State to specify a description of other assured tenancies that meet the definition of ‘relevant low-cost tenancy’.
The Bill does not apply to those whose accommodation does not meet the definition of a ‘dwelling’ as defined in housing legislation, such as those who live in caravans. We continue to take a series of measures across the park homes sector and I am happy to discuss our plans further with the Hon member at his convenience.