MPs debate letting fee ban
The ban on letting fees is currently the government’s flagship policy to help renters, and we’re currently waiting for a draft bill to be published, which follows a consultation that we and hundreds of our supporters responded to.
In the meantime, MPs gave us a taste of how the legislation will proceed in Parliament yesterday morning by debating the subject for the first time since last year’s Autumn Statement.
Renters vote – and cause another political upset
The results are in, and the UK’s voters have delivered yet another shock.
The dust still has to settle but one thing is already apparent: the votes of renters had an impact yesterday. Twenty of the 32 seats that the Conservatives lost to Labour and the Liberal Democrats had more renters than average. Back at the 2011 census, those 32 seats had an average private renter population of 19% – it was 16% in the country as a whole.
3.4m private renters risk losing their vote
With one week until voter registration closes, we’ve estimated that more than three million private renters in England are at risk of losing their vote at the General Election.
1.8m private renters have moved home since the 2016 Referendum and must therefore register again. Private renters are typically on tenancy agreements of no longer than 12 months and are six times more likely to move in a given year than homeowners.
One promise the Prime Minister must keep
Theresa May has broken her word. She ruled out a snap election five times, then called one.
Our question is: what other promises is she going to tear up?
The government is consulting now on proposals to ban letting fees, and the deadline of 2 June is a week before polling day.
Are landlord incentives the answer to tenant insecurity?
Today’s Observer declares that the “home-owning democracy”, that elusive vision beloved of the Conservatives since Thatcher, is finished.
Ahead of next week’s Housing White Paper, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid says, “We understand people are living longer in private rented accommodation”, which is the closest the government has come to admitting that their policies to help first-time buyers can only go so far.
Huge victory for renters as Chancellor bans fees
There was some extra cash for “affordable” housing in Philip Hammond’s Autumn Statement, but there was only really one big story from today:
The Government is going to ban letting fees!
This is a phenomenal achievement and the result of a tireless campaign over recent years by us, Shelter, Citizens Advice, the Debrief and local renter groups around the country.
Dozens of us investigated our local letting agents to build up the case for reform on www.lettingfees.co.uk. Thousands of us signed petitions and wrote to our MPs and the government listened.
New PM, new diagnosis of the housing crisis
Before she was fast-tracked to 10 Downing St – in one of many dramatic twists in recent weeks – Theresa May gave us a glimpse of how her housing policy might differ from David Cameron’s.
Launching her leadership campaign in Birmingham on Monday, May went further than Cameron has ever done in describing the the damage that house price inflation causes:
“…unless we deal with the housing deficit, we will see house prices keep on rising. Young people will find it even harder to afford their own home. The divide between those who inherit wealth and those who don’t will become more pronounced. And more and more of the country’s money will go into expensive housing instead of more productive investments that generate more economic growth.”
Bills announced to reform private renting
Parliament has announced the 20 Private Member’s Bills that are being introduced today, and they include three on housing.
Karen Buck, MP for Westminster North, has introduced the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill, which will amend a law from the 1980s to ensure that rented properties meet certain standards. We think this is a huge opportunity to give tenants the protection they need from unscrupulous landlords and agents – and finally bring renting into the 21st century. Karen is a longtime campaigner on housing so we’ll work hard to support her as she takes the Bill through Parliament.
What to ask your Parliamentary Candidates
As the election campaign really kicks off, you will no doubt hear a knock on your door soon from one of your many Parliamentary candidates hoping to win your vote.
2015 – The General Election where English renters lose out?
Just a few days into the 2015 General Election campaign, and we are already in the midst of a confusing barrage of promises, photo-ops, accusations and counter-claims. Even to a hardened political observer, it is genuinely difficult to evaluate the statistics, date the political commitments or even work out who is saying what.