Allow us to see what been taking place within the housing information this week.
Native Housing Allowance enhance
Within the Chancellors Autumn Assertion this week Jeremy Hunt introduced that he has unfrozen the Native Housing Allowance and elevated to the decrease thirtieth percentile of native market rents from April 2024.
This has adopted lengthy campaigns from all sides of the rental market each charities, non-public landlords and native authorities saying that they had been properly behind the market hire and was a significant component in driving up homelessness.
Jeremy Hunt mentioned
As a result of hire can represent half the dwelling prices of personal renters on the bottom incomes, I’ve listened to colleagues and lots of organisations, who say unfreezing the LHA was an pressing precedence.
I’ll due to this fact enhance the LHA to the thirtieth percentile of native market charges – this may give 1.6 million households £800 of additional help subsequent yr.
Excellent news from the federal government and badly wanted. Though inevitably, Shelter has mentioned that they need the rise to occur now, not subsequent April.
Wales expands its ‘Leasing Scheme Wales’
A council in Wales is encouraging non-public landlords which might be presently in a present leasing scheme with a registered social landlord firm that’s ending, to lease their rental properties direct to them through their ‘Leasing Scheme Wales’ initiative. That is operated by the Welsh Authorities and works properly already in 16 native authorities.
It can imply that the council involved, Brigend Council, will have the ability to nonetheless provide non-public landlords assured hire at native housing allowance charges for leases of something as much as 20 years, grants of as much as £25,000, property administration companies and tenant help.
The council are aiming for a complete of 88 properties to be accessible for hire beneath this scheme by 2026-27.
U-turn on EPC scores welcomed by landlords
A brand new survey out claims that 74% of landlords have welcomed the u-turn the federal government has made on all rental properties being a minimal of a C score. The survey additionally introduced that some landlords haven’t any intention of finishing up additional power effectivity upgrades to their properties as there may be now no authorized obligation to take action, and solely 26% of landlords mentioned that there was nonetheless an ethical obligation to take action.
Some landlords nonetheless, with lower-rated properties nonetheless do intend to improve to a C score, however really feel there may be much less urgency, with the principle barrier being value and the problem of retro-fitting older properties.
Curiously, solely 26% of landlords weren’t in favour of eliminating the EPC minimal necessities altogether, claiming that there are advantages of getting higher-rated properties similar to decrease power payments, with the ability to cost a better hire and growing the worth of their property.
You possibly can learn extra right here.
Sadiq Khan provides social rented sector hope for brand new properties
Sadiq Khan has launched a brand new initiative known as Council Houses Acquisition Programme (CHAP), which can give councils entry to funds to purchase properties from the non-public market. He claims that 170,000 Londoners live in unsecured short-term lodging, 83,000 of that are youngsters.
His scheme will enable all London boroughs to bid for funding with the goal to carry 10,000 extra properties into the social sector inside the subsequent ten years. All properties should adjust to the First rate Houses Customary and constructing security rules.
He says
My new Council Houses Acquisition Programme will enable boroughs to maneuver at tempo to extend the variety of council properties in our metropolis, providing a lifeline for 1000’s of Londoners who’re going through excessive housing prices, as the primary a part of my formidable aim for councils to purchase 10,000 properties over the subsequent decade.
Some excellent news for a change.
Snippets
East of England city votes via new HMO restrictions
Renters need payments included however few landlords provide it, research finds
Landlords lead on energy-efficiency regardless of Sunak U-turn
Tenant’s grievance result in £10,000 superb for HMO landlord
Derelict web site on London’s Billionaire’s Row ‘has house for 300 properties’
Activist chief claims ‘one man band’ landlords worst at exploiting tenants
Newsround will likely be again subsequent week.
