Industry News


Private landlords are “not the enemy”


Narratives pitting landlords and tenants against each other are depressingly common, according to a national body representing private landlords. To combat this and help prevent the debate about the future of the private rented sector becoming increasingly polarised, the group’s chief executive is trying to reset the relationship. In an open letter to members of the Renters


Reform Coalition, made up of a number of tenant groups, including Shelter, Crisis and Generation Rent, the National Residential Landlords Association has called for an end to these supposed hostilities, on the basis that a vibrant and well-functioning private rented sector is the ultimate aim for both parties. In the letter NRLA chief executive Ben


Beadle stresses that, with demand for rented homes already well outstripping supply, now is time to find common campaigning ground when it comes to rental reform.


He said: “There are already areas where there is consensus, with both the NRLA and the Renters Reform Coalition calling for an end to the unfair freeze on Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates.


“Court reform is another area where we


believe we can find common ground and have asked members of the coalition to get on board and offer their input into in making a powerful joint call for reforms to the court system to benefit both tenants and responsible landlords”. “We have also asked for feedback on some


of the finer points of the Bill to find either common campaigning ground, or at least clarity as to what exactly it is that the coalition wants. Tese include proposals on possession grounds and pets.” “At the end of the day rental reform must


carry the confidence of responsible landlords as well as tenants. Aſter all, greater security for tenants will not mean much if the homes to rent are not there in the first place.” “Landlords and tenants a reliant on one


another, and any reform of the sector must be fair to both parties if we are to build a vibrant and robust private rented sector that works for all.”


£1.74 billion spent supporting 104,000 households in temporary accommodation


I


ncreasing numbers of families are turning to councils for temporary accommodation as homelessness reaches record highs, the Local


Government Association warns. Analysis from the LGA has revealed the number


of households living in temporary accommodation has risen by 89% over the past decade to 104,000 households at the end of March 2023 – the highest figures since records began in 1998 and is costing councils at least £1.74 billion in 2022/23. Te severe shortage of social housing means


councils are being forced to pay to house people in private temporary accommodation, including hotels and B&Bs while they wait for a permanent home. Te annual cost of paying these rents is


estimated to be enough to build about 100,000 new homes over five years. It is twice as high as it was in 2015/16. More than 130,000 children are living in temporary housing – the highest ever number. Stephen Holt, the leader of Eastbourne borough


council, which recently hosted a summit of more than 100 councils, said: “Te situation is stark. Councils provide a safety net for the most vulnerable people... and that safety net is at real risk of failing.” Te dwindling supply of affordable housing is


further compounded by the rising cost of living and frozen Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates which are driving increases in homelessness and reducing councils’ ability to source suitable accommodation. Te LGA is calling on the Government to take


the following actions: • Restore LHA rates to cover the bottom 30th percentile of local rents;


• further reform Right to Buy which includes allowing councils to retain 100 per cent of receipts on a permanent basis; flexibility to combine Right to Buy receipts with other government grants; the ability to set the size of discounts locally; and the ability to recycle a greater proportion of receipts into building replacement homes;


• Provide a long-term rent deal for council landlords to allow a longer period of annual rent increases for a minimum period of at least 10 years, providing certainty for investment; and


• Provide long-term funding certainty for local government to help councils scale up to deliver an ambitious build programme of 100,000 high-quality, climate-friendly social homes a year.


10 | HMMDecember/January 2024 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


SQUEEZED BUDGETS Councillor Darren Rodwell, housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: “Councils are under mounting pressure to find suitable homes for an ever-increasing number of people and are doing the best they can under current circumstances.” “A plethora of issues has meant that council


budgets are being squeezed and the chronic shortage of suitable housing across the country means that councils are increasingly having to turn to alternative options for accommodation at a significant cost.”


“Councils need to be given the powers and resources to build enough social homes for their residents so they can create a more prosperous place to live, with healthier and happier communities.”


Asylum and resettlement schemes are also adding


to supply and demand issues. Current programmes involving the increased pace and scale of asylum decisions, closure of hotels for Afghan households and new arrivals from Afghanistan over the next few weeks are now running in parallel with winter pressures, combined with ongoing support for homeless Ukrainian and Afghan households. Te clearance of the asylum backlog in particular means increasing risks around destitution and rough sleeping numbers. Councillor Rodwell, continued: “Councils


have a proud history of supporting humanitarian efforts and continue to work hard to protect and support refugees and help deliver a wide range of government asylum and resettlement schemes.” “However, combined pressures from these


many schemes are growing on councils and there continues to be a crisis across the refugee and asylum system. Tis is being compounded by a housing crisis, the pace and scale of asylum decision making and the rapidly approaching deadline for all remaining Afghan families to move on from hotels by the end of the year.”


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