Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill
On 22 January 2020 the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill received its second reading in the House of Commons. This Government bill would amend the electronic communications code set out in Schedule 3A to the Communications Act 2003; by doing so, it would address one barrier to stated Government policy: by making it easier for telecoms companies to access multi-dwelling buildings (such as blocks of flats) where a tenant has requested a new connection, but the landlord has not responded to requests for access rights. For more details, see Housing Laws in the Pipeline.
Fire risk in flats and shared buildings
On 28 January 2020 a House of Commons debate was held in Westminster Hall on fire risk in flats and shared buildings. The debate was opened by Matt Rodda. For the Hansard record of the debate, click here. For a House of Commons Library information pack prepared for the debate, click here.
Homelessness
On 29 January 2020, there will be a House of Commons opposition day debate on homelessness. The House of Commons Library has collated various briefings on the issue for the debate. For those briefings, click here.
Couple jailed for housing benefit fraud
On 17 January 2020 the Crown Prosecution Service reported that a man and woman who lived together and had three children together but claimed they were not a couple have been jailed for £108,754 of benefit fraud. The woman was jailed for two years and three months, and the man for one year and nine months. A Proceeds of Crime timetable has also been set to recoup the falsely-claimed benefit for the Crown. For the CPS report, click here.
'No-fault' evictions
On 23 January 2020 the Law Society published its response to the Government's consultation proposing the removal of the assured short-term tenancy regime and landlords' entitlement to evict tenants before the end of a fixed-term through s21 of Housing Act 1988. The Law Society supports the abolition of 'no-fault' evictions. Simon Davis, president of the Law Society, said:
"Section 21 is one of the leading causes of family homelessness in the UK. In addition, because of the absence of legal aid support, many are unable to obtain the legal advice they need to enforce their rights. This creates an inequity of power between landlords and tenants. The rule of law should be available equally to both sides. There are fears that current legislation has led to so-called 'retaliatory evictions.' For example, if a tenant has raised concerns that a landlord has failed to comply with their own legal obligations."
Highlighting the need for balance between the rights of tenants and landlords, the Society has also recommended the widening of section 8 of the 1988 Act. For the response, click here. For the consultation document, click here.
Vagrancy Act 1824: Government policy
In replying to questions in the House of Lords concerning homelessness, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the MHCLG, Viscount Younger of Leckie, said: "the Government believe that a review of the [Vagrancy] Act rather than immediate wholesale repeal is the right course of action, to ensure that the consequences of a repeal are fully understood". For the Hansard record of questions to the minister, click here.
Vagrancy Act 1824: public opinion
On 23 January 2020 Crisis reported the result of a survey of more than 3,000 people which found that "the majority of people (71 per cent) think arresting people for sleeping rough is a waste of police time, with over half stating rough sleeping should not be considered a crime at all."
A Freedom of Information request has revealed that forces across the country have made over 8,500 arrests under the Vagrancy Act in the last five years, suggesting, according to Crisis, that a significant amount of police time, money and effort is being wasted because of this archaic law. For more details, click here.
English Housing Survey 2018 to 2019
On 23 January 2020 the MHCLG published initial findings from the English Housing Survey 2018 to 2019. The main findings are:
- Owner occupation rates remain unchanged for the sixth year in a row. Of the estimated 23.5 million households in England, 15.0 million or 64 per cent were owner occupiers.
- The proportion of households in the private rented sector also remains unchanged for the sixth year in a row. The proportion of households in the social rented sector has not changed for more than a decade. In 2018-19, the private rented sector accounted for 4.6 million or 19 per cent of households. The social rented sector, at 4.0 million households (17 per cent), remained the smallest tenure.
- The proportion of 25-34 year olds in owner occupation has increased and there are now almost equal proportions of 25-34 year olds living in the private rented and owner occupied sectors. In 2018-19, 41 per cent of those aged 25-34 lived in the private rented sector; a further 41 per cent were owner occupiers.
- The proportion of people aged 55-64 living in the rented sectors has increased. In 2018-19, 10 per cent of 55-64 year olds lived in the private rented sector, up from 7 per cent in 2008-09.
- In 2018-19, 8 per cent of social renters lived in overcrowded accommodation, up from 5 per cent in 1998-99.
For the full report, click here.
Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1
On 21 January 2020 the Government published its response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry's Phase 1 report, which was published on 30 October 2019. The response sets out the steps the Government is taking to implement the report's recommendations as well as the wider work it is doing to make buildings safer. For the response document, click here. For the Phase 1 report, click here.
On the same date, the Mayor of London published his first progress report on the implementation of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations. For the progress report, click here. For the announcement of publication, click here.
Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1: House of Commons debate
On 21 January 2020 the House of Commons held a debate to consider the Grenfell Tower Inquiry's Phase 1 Report. For the Hansard record of that debate, click here.
Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2
On 27 January 2020 Phase 2 of the inquiry began with opening statements. For the first week's schedule, click here. For an editorial article in The Guardian concerning the second phase of the inquiry, click here.
New social housing - Southwark
On 24 January 2020 Southwark Council announced that it has committed to aiming for 50 percent of any new housing to be social or intermediate rent as part of its New Southwark Plan (NSP), which has now been submitted. The council is the only remaining London council to demand delivery of social housing, not just affordable homes, as part of its planning policies. The NSP is Southwark Council's blueprint for future planning and developments and lays out what and where it wants to see areas for, for example, housing, green space, offices and retail. For the announcement, click here.
Domestic abuse: Make a Stand
On 23 January 2020 CIH announced that 425 organisations have now signed up "to make a stand against domestic abuse across the UK". To encourage those housing associations which have not yet signed up for the campaign, CIH has launched a guide, How to make a stand against domestic abuse. For the announcement, click here. For the guide, click here.
Help to Buy: Shared Equity Loan Scheme: October to December 2019 - Wales
On 23 January 2020 the Welsh Government published data on the number of homes purchased in Wales and the value of the loans received under the Shared Equity Loan Scheme for October to December 2019. Between 1 July and 30 September 2019:
- 623 property purchases were completed using a Welsh Government shared equity loan. This brings the total number of purchases under Help to Buy - Wales since its introduction on 2 January 2014 to 10,215.
- Over the quarter, total value of these equity loans was £25.2 million. The value of properties purchased totalled £127.6 million.
- The mean property purchase price using the scheme during this quarter was £204,875, with a mean equity loan value of £40,439.
- There were 54 completed purchases of leasehold properties. All leasehold properties were flats.
The majority of homes purchased through the scheme to date have been to first time buyers, accounting for 76 per cent of all completed purchases. For the full data, click here.
Short-term lettings - London
On 22 January 2020 London Councils revealed that new research suggests one in every 50 homes in the capital is let on a short-term basis. London Councils, a cross-party group representing all 32 boroughs and the City of London Corporation, found 73,549 listings for London homes on online letting platforms such as Airbnb in December 2019. Calling for improved regulation of the booming short-term lets market, London Councils warns that the growth in short-term lets deprives the capital of much-needed permanent accommodation. For more details, click here.
Housing Ombudsman
On 23 January 2020 the Housing Ombudsman launched the first in a new series of reports providing insight into the complaints data and individual complaints received. Issue 1 of the Insight report focuses on the first six months of 2019-20, highlighting that complaints about repairs continues to be the biggest category of complaint, accounting for 29 per cent of the 4,724 complaints received. The next two largest categories were tenants' behaviour (14 per cent) and complaint handling (14 per cent). For the report, click here.
