Industry News
Welsh councils to get new powers to set local limits on numbers of holiday homes
A
package of measures to address the high numbers of second homes across large parts of Wales includes changes in
planning laws, a statutory licencing scheme and proposals for changes in land transaction tax. First Minister Mark Drakeford and leader of
Plaid Cymru Adam Price have agreed the package in a programme of actions to help create thriving communities and to support people to afford a home, either to buy or rent, in their local area. Te Co-operation Agreement between the
Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru includes a commitment to tackle the issue of second homes, believed to number almost 24,000, with many standing empty for long periods. Te package of measures announced includes:
• Changes to planning regulations by the end of the summer. Tese will introduce three new planning use classes – a primary home, a second home and short-term holiday accommodation;
• Plans to introduce a statutory licensing scheme for all visitor accommodation, including short- term holiday lets, making it a requirement to obtain a license. Tis is intended to raise property and letting standards across the tourism industry; and
• Following a consultation about varying land transaction tax locally in areas with large numbers of second homes, work has started
with local authorities on developing a national framework so they can request increased land transaction tax rates for second homes and holiday lets to be applied in their local area.
Under the planning changes councils will be able to make amendments to the planning system to require planning permission for a change of use from one class to another. Tis will also introduce changes to national planning policy to give local authorities the ability to control the number of second homes and holiday lets in any community. Tese changes are expected to be in place by the end of the Summer. Te Welsh Government has already introduced
a range of measures to address the issue of second homes, including giving councils the discretionary power to increase council tax premiums on second and empty homes by upto 300 per cent from next year and it has changed the rules on holiday lets so owners and operators make a fair contribution to their local communities. First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “We are
setting out the next steps in a radical programme to ensure everyone has the opportunity to afford to live in their local community – whether that’s buying or renting a home. We have a shared ambition for Wales to be a nation of thriving communities – a country where people do not have to leave to find good and rewarding work and a country which
people want to come to visit and to live. “Tourism is vital to our economy but having too
many holiday properties and second homes, which are empty for much of the year, does not make for healthy local communities and prices people out of the local housing market. “Tere is no single, simple solution to these
issues. Any action we take must be fair. We do not want to create any unintended consequences, which could destabilise the wider housing market or make it harder for people to rent or buy.” Conservative local government spokesman
Sam Rowlands, said: “I welcome increased responsibilities and opportunities for local authorities to support their communities, but I do worry this is just a top-down diktat from Labour and Plaid Cymru in Cardiff Bay.”
Two severe maladministration findings against Shepherds Bush Housing’s failings over a roof leak
Te Housing Ombudsman has made two severe maladministration findings against Shepherds Bush Housing for failing to deal with a shared owner’s repeated reports of a roof leak over many years. Te Ombudsman says it took the landlord eight
years to correctly identify the cause of the leak. When the resident made a formal complaint it took more than two years to reach the end of the landlord’s complaints process. “Our investigation found that the landlord
delayed in carrying out repair works, did not resolve the leak and did not provide redress to the resident which resolved the complaint satisfactorily. “It had caused ongoing detriment to the resident
for several years. Te landlord apologised for the delays and had offered compensation but had not resolved the leak. It said it would revisit the compensation offer once the issue was resolved.” Te Ombudsman added there was also evidence of poor record keeping by the landlord, which
limited its ability to thoroughly investigate and consider whether the redress offered by the landlord was fair and put things right. Following the investigation, the landlord’s
learning from this case included changes to its complaint handling approach and improved communication with residents. Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said:
“It is appalling and unacceptable that any resident should live with a serious problem with their home for eight years. Te prolonged distress and disruption could have been avoided. We recognise that the landlord took some action. However, poor communication, lack of records and failure to take reasonable steps to put things right, undermined the landlord’s response and exacerbated the disruption experienced by the resident. “Te poor record keeping was deeply
unsatisfactory and limited our ability to thoroughly investigate the complaint. By agreeing to revisit the
16 | HMMAugust/September 2022 |
www.housingmmonline.co.uk
compensation offered once the issue was resolved, the landlord acknowledged that the compensation was not proportionate, however its response did not put matters right and works remained outstanding. “Following our decision, I welcome the landlord’s
response on its learning from this case and the changes being made to improve its service. I would encourage other landlords to consider the learning this case offers for their own services.” A spokesperson for Shepherds Bush said:
“We apologise unreservedly for the distress and inconvenience caused to the resident directly impacted by this incident. Te case in question dates back a number of years and should have been resolved much sooner. Recently, our Executive Team have committed to completing a number of actions to ensure preventative measures are in place, in order to avoid a similar situation occurring again.”
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