Industry News
Government awards councils £20 million to tackle rogue landlords in supported housing
U
nscrupulous landlords who exploit vulnerable residents by charging high rents for poor-quality accommodation
and offering almost no help will be driven out of the supported housing market by a new £20 million improvement programme. Supported housing provides accommodation
alongside care, support, or supervision, helping vulnerable people across the country. In short term supported housing, residents may have experience of homelessness, mental health issues or domestic abuse, and schemes should provide them with the skills and confidence to enter longer-term independent accommodation. Many people in supported housing receive
good quality, tailored support to help them get their lives back on track by assisting them to access health services or mental health support, manage their finances, find employment and/or sustain a tenancy. But there are instances of supported housing
landlords providing unacceptable levels of support while charging extortionate rents. For example, there have been reports of landlords providing as little support as dropping off a box of cereal while claiming £250 per week in an area where the average rent is £80.
Tis will be stamped out with a package of measures that include:
• minimum standards for support provided to residents in order to help their progress towards living independently;
• new powers for local authorities to better manage their local supported housing market and ensure no individual falls through the cracks; and
• changes to Housing Benefit regulations to seek to define care, support, and supervision to improve quality across all specified supported housing provision.
Alongside this, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has invited councils to apply for funding from a £20 million Supported Housing Improvement Programme to drive up accommodation quality in some of the most affected areas. Tis follows successful pilots which saw DLUHC
work with 5 local authorities around England to improve supported housing in these areas. Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing Eddie Hughes said: “We want vulnerable residents living in supported housing to have safe, appropriate accommodation, which meets their needs and can help them move onto more independent living.
“I’m pleased to open our Supported Housing
Improvement Programme for bids today. Tis will build on the momentum from our successful pilots, helping councils in the worst-affected areas to tackle bad quality and poor value for money in supported housing, while preserving good provision by responsible providers.” From October 2020 to September 2021, DLUHC
funded 5 local authorities (Birmingham, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Hull and Bristol) to test interventions to raise standards of accommodation and support and improve local authority oversight of the local supported housing market. Te pilot authorities were able to drive up the
quality of accommodation and support to residents. Tey also improved value for money through enhanced scrutiny of Housing Benefit claims to verify that costs were legitimate and reasonable. Te independent evaluation of the pilots
was published in April 2022. It found that increasing local authority capacity and capability had a positive impact on their ability to improve quality and value for money in supported housing at a local level. Te prospectus provides detailed guidance
that will assist local councils in considering whether and how to bid, and for those selected to go on to participate in the programme.
Criticism from private landlords as Government consults on growth of holiday lets
Te Government has launched a review of the impact which holiday lets have on local residents and the housing market for both tenants and buyers amid claims that its current policies are driving landlords away from the private rented sector. Te Department for Digital, Culture, Media
and Sport are leading on the three-month review which began with an open call for evidence and is due to end in late September. It follows reports that increasing numbers of private rentals, particularly in tourist areas, are being converted into short-term holiday lets, damaging the supply and cost of rental properties for local residents. Te review will consider proposals for new
regulations, such as introducing spot checks on rental properties to ensure they observe noise and antisocial behaviour rules and a mandatory self- certification scheme for new landlords.
Further measures the Government is considering
include a registration ‘kitemark’ scheme with spot checks for compliance with rules on issues such as gas safety, a self-certification scheme for hosts to register with before they can operate, and better information or a single source of guidance setting out the legal requirements for providers. Before he resigned, the former Housing Minister
Stuart Andrew, said: “Holiday let sites like Airbnb have helped boost tourism across the country, but we need to make sure this doesn’t drive residents out of their communities. We are already taking action to tackle the issue of second and empty homes in some areas by empowering councils to charge up to double the rate of council tax. “Tis review will give us a better understanding
of how short term lets are affecting housing supply locally to make sure the tourism sector works for
12 | HMMAugust/September 2022 |
www.housingmmonline.co.uk
both residents and visitors alike.” In response to the review’s announcement Ben
Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: “Te growth in holiday lets is a direct consequence of the Government’s attack on long-term rented housing. “Tax policies actively discourage long-term
investment in the private rented sector by landlords. With a Housing Secretary that wants to shrink the size of the sector, it is little wonder many landlords have jumped ship to the holiday lets market. “As a result, for many in holiday hot spots finding
a long-term home to rent is all but impossible. With demand for such housing at a record high, all it is doing is increasing rents when tenants can least afford it. Te Government needs to end its anti- landlord attitude and develop pro-growth tax plans to help renters access the housing they need.”
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