Labour's PRS strategy.

Housing problems and statistics

A large part of the document is talking about how awful it all is (with quotes) and how some of the worst standards are to be found in the private rented sector (PRS).  For example:

The PRS represents 16.5% of the total households in England

Nearly 1/3 of all PRS households have children and nearly 15% of all couples with children live in the PRS

The proportion of private rented stock which is ‘non decent’ is 35%, compared to 22% owner occupied homes and 17% of social housing

Safety hazards are in 21% of PRS homes compared to 7% in the social sector

In 2010/11 local authorities received over 86,000 complaints and have said in the past that they are aware of 1,477 serial bad landlords

The report goes on to point out the problems that local authorities have with enforcement issues, and the fact that many PRS landlords are well meaning but lack knowledge of their legal obligations.

The report also refers to the ‘retaliatory eviction’ problem and the general costs to society of poor housing.

To find out what the main suggestions are to resolve these problems you have to read to the end.  They are:

1. A national register of landlords

Which will

Assist local authorities identify landlords

Allow distribution of information to and communication with landlords

Help with deal with the problems of tax evasion (apparently costing the Treasury some half a billion pounds)

Item 4 below also indicates that the right to operate as a landlord will be linked to being on the register.

2. A new national private rented property standard

Which would include current minimum standards on

Tenancy deposits
Energy efficiency
Property conditions
Response times and repairs
The report goes on to say that this will be linked to incentives which will only be available to properly registered landlords (including with HMRC)

3. Improved local enforcement

This will

Remove red tape and make it easier for local authorities to introduce licensing schemes

4. Tougher sanctions on bad landlords

Which will involve

reviewing penalties and sentencing guidelines (presumably by making them less derisory)
assessing how they can stamp out retaliatory eviction
removing bad landlords from the national register so they can no longer operate as landlords
There is also an interesting paragraph which follows this which refers to potential benefits to compliant landlords:

supplying renters from local housing registers (probably not much of an incentive in the current housing shortage)

direct payment of benefit to PRS landlords and
an improved legal process to help landlords evict non paying tenants and tenants who commit anti social behaviour including criminal damage.

Via Tess Shepperson

London Councils to Send Homeless Families Out of the City

As rents in London continue to rise and the Housing Allowance has been capped at £400 a month councils are preparing to move families out of capital the Guardian reports. Families could be rehoused as far away as Berkshire and Sussex as the shortage of affordable housing in the capital worsens.

London councils are acquiring cheaper properties in areas outside of London as a response to predictions of increasing levels of homelessness ahead of Government cuts that come into force in April of next year. Whilst councils are reluctant to force London families to move away, they are finding it impossible to provide housing in the city. Moving families away from their home borough causes severe disruption impacting on the education of children their wellbeing.

By law local authorities have a duty to house families at risk of homelessness within the Borough the application is made ‘as far as is practicable.’ However, rising rents combined with government cuts make it impractical and, in places, impossible to provide suitable housing.

The government must tackle rising rents in the capital so that affordable housing is available to all. Moving families out of the city does not address the underlying problems of social injustice that lead to homelessness.