Generation Rent has welcomed Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s speech to Labour Conference announcing that councils will be given the power to take control of empty homes and homes in disrepair to convert them into council housing.
Speaking at conference today, he said “We will give councils the power to take control of them and bring them back into public housing stock.”
The Prime Minister criticised absentee landlords who are paid through the benefit system but refuse to reinvest anything in the upkeep of the property.
The English Housing Survey (EHS) estimates that 1 million private rented homes are non-decent. Generation Rent welcomes the commitment to bring neglected homes back into use and tackle landlords who leave our home in disrepair.
In response, Holly Williamson, Chief Executive of Generation Rent, said:
“Homes are the foundations of our lives. But too often renters are forced to live in awful conditions that harm our health. When landlords don’t listen to warnings, councils should have the power to make sure homes provide the foundation families need, as the Prime Minister announced today.”
The English Housing Survey is available here:
