Fitness for Human Habitation Act E Book released

On Friday, the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act will come into force on all rented properties in England. According to data published by the government, there were 480,000 social housing properties that didn’t meet the Decent Homes Standard in... View Article

2020 Budget promises new money for housebuilding

New Chancellor Rishi Sunak has delivered his first Budget in the House of Commons, including an extension of the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) and a £1bn fund to remove “unsafe cladding.” £12bn will be released with the new AHP settlement,... View Article

Reversing the steady decline in the private rental market

Patrick Mooney looks at warning signs coming from the private rented sector Of course this could just be a piece of pre-Budget hyperbole, but leading representatives of private landlords are warning the Chancellor that Government policies are driving their members... View Article

LGA responds to latest rough sleeping figures

Responding to the annual single night snapshot of the number of people sleeping rough in England, Cllr David Renard, the Local Government Association’s housing spokesman, said: “Any fall in the number of rough sleepers is good news, but while progress... View Article

Birmingham will require planning permission for small HMOs

A citywide direction on houses in multiple occupation is being introduced by Birmingham City Council from June 2020, giving the council greater control over the conversion of residential properties in the city. The Article 4 direction will mean that planning... View Article

Tenant found guilty of attempted Right to Buy fraud

A council tenant has received a 20 month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, for fraudulently attempting to purchase a three bedroom house with a £80,900 discount. Debbie Mclean, 54, from Hove, was prosecuted by Lewes District Council after claiming... View Article

Landlords demand a speeding up of court processes

Courts across the country are struggling to cope with the volume of property repossession cases they are hearing, with private landlords warning this could reduce the supply of homes available for rent in the future. The delays are worse in... View Article

Social sector has lessons to learn over furnished tenancies

The End Furniture Poverty organisation claims the social housing sector has lessons to learn from the private rented sector over the use of furnished tenancies. While furnished tenancies are commonplace in the private sector, they are rarely found in social... View Article