1st
Aug 2022
Just like buses there is now another MP committee investigation into the PRS which starts immediately as a ‘call for evidence’ into the private rental sector.
The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities select committee has started the probe prior of its ‘forensic’ study of the government’s White Paper, A Fairer Private Rental Sector.
Clive Betts, Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, said: “Private renters can be the victim of a power imbalance with their landlords, subject to unjustified hikes in rents and the fear of being forced out of their accommodation. During a cost-of-living crisis, the impact of rising housing costs is even more damaging on households.
“It’s welcome that the Government has come forward with its White Paper and, as a Committee, we are keen to examine how effective the proposed reforms will be in protecting tenants and ensuring the success of the private rented sector in providing homes. As a Committee, we look forward to hearing from a range of stakeholders including tenants groups, landlords, local government, and Ministers and will then report with recommendations to Government on how they could improve their proposals for reform of the private rented sector.”
Written submissions will only be accepted by the select committee and must be no longer than 3,000 words and must be filed by August 19th.
The committee wants answers to these questions:
- Will the Government’s White Paper proposals result in a fairer private rented sector (PRS)?
- What do the proposals in the White Paper and other recent reforms indicate about the role the Government envisages the PRS playing in providing housing nationally?
- Have the Government’s announcements already led to any changes in behaviour in the PRS?
- Do the proposals for reforming tenancies, including the abolition of Section 21, strike the right balance between protecting tenants from unfair eviction and allowing landlords to take possession of their properties in reasonable circumstances?
- How easily will tenants be able to challenge unfair rent increases under the proposals?
- Does the PRS need its own ombudsman? If so, what powers should it have?
- Will the proposals result in more disputes ending up in the courts? If so, will the proposals for speeding up the courts service suffice?
- What impact, if any, will the reforms have on the supply of students homes in the general PRS?
- What impact, if any, will the reforms have on the supply of homes in the PRS?
- What should be included in the new decent homes standard and how easily could it be enforced?
- How enforceable are the proposals to make it illegal for landlords to have blanket bans on letting to people on benefits or with children? What other groups, if any, should be protected from blanket bans?
- Overall, what additional pressures will the proposals place on local councils, and how many of these will require new burdens funding?
Richard Merrick of PIMS, comments:” We have little faith that any submissions from landlords submissions will be taken notice of, but of course councils and tenant organisations will. It seems the government has already made its mind up to reduce the number of PRS homes.”
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