29th
May 2017
In its latest manifesto Labour has pledged a “consumer rights revolution” in the private rented sector to introduce a range of new measures of legal minimum standards for rental properties, as tenants have “fewer rights renting a family home than you do buying a fridge-freezer”.
The measures that will be introduced if they win the forthcoming General Election will include new minimum requirements for kitchen, electrical safety and sanitation facilities to make sure that tenants' homes are “fit for human habitation”.
The shadow housing secretary John Healey also announced that those landlords who do not comply with the new regulations could face fines of up to £100,000. He is adamant that the new measures will guarantee that tenants will be able to “call time on bad landlords”.
The Tories have said that the new standards would be in effect be a 'tenants' tax' which is slightly rich, as they themselves have already done this by reducing mortgage interest tax relief and other measures which have and will be forcing landlords to increase rents. It is very unlikely that Labour, if in power, will ever change the stamp duty on second properties and reversing the mortgage interest tax relief changes.
John Healey said: “Our homes are at the centre of our lives, but at the moment renters too often don't have basic consumer rights that we take for granted in other areas.
“In practice, you have fewer rights renting a family home than you do buying a fridge-freezer.
“As a result, too many are forced to put up with unacceptable, unfit and downright dangerous housing.”
Labour said the 2014 English Housing Survey shows England's tenants were paying £800m a month on rent - or £9.6bn a year - for their 'rented homes' that by the previous government's standards were classed as “non-decent”.
Labour also stated that £2.3bn a year was paid by housing benefit.
Healey continued: “Most landlords provide decent homes that tenants are happy with, but these rogue landlords are ripping off both renters and the taxpayer by making billions from rent and housing benefit letting out sub-standard homes.”
Healey finished by saying: “After seven years of failure the Conservatives have no plan to fix the housing crisis”.
Richard Merrick of PIMS said: "History shows that no matter which party gets into power they have and will continue to drive through anti-landlord legislation and measures. This is in spite of their failings to build enough houses and to turn a blind eye to developers' land banks".
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