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1245386

registered interest
date	21/10/2020
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Rented Housing: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps his Department has taken to support renters; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a (a) compulsory and (b) permanent ban on rental increases in (i) private, (ii) public and (iii) shared ownership housing after the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	North Norfolk
tabling member printed	Duncan Baker
uin	107115
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government has no plans to ban rent increases and we have put in place an unprecedented package of support to protect renters during this period.</p><p>We have legislated to increase notice periods to 6 months in all but the most serious circumstances and bailiffs have been asked not to enforce evictions across England whilst the new, toughened national restrictions apply from 5 November. The only exceptions to this will be the most egregious cases, including cases of illegal occupation, fraud, where tenants have demonstrated anti-social behaviour or are the perpetrator of domestic abuse in social housing and where a property is unoccupied following the death of a tenant. We also intend to introduce an exemption for extreme pre-Covid rent arrears and will provide more detail in due course.</p><p>Together with the pause on evictions starting in December, this means that evictions will not be enforced in England until 11 January at the earliest, except in the most serious circumstances.</p><p>These measures build on the Government’s major economic package of support to help renters continue to meet their housing costs, including the Chancellor’s recent announcement to extend the Job Retention Scheme to March 2021 .</p><p>We have also strengthened the welfare safety-net with an over £9 billion boost to the welfare system, which includes an extra £1 billion to increase Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates so that they cover the lowest 30 per cent of market rents. For renters who require additional support, there is also an existing £180 million of Government funding for Discretionary Housing Payments made available this year, an increase of £40 million from last year, which is for councils to distribute to support renters needing additional help.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 09/11/2020 17:36:54 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher previous answer version 58222 answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4784 label Biography information for Duncan Baker

1245406

registered interest
date	21/10/2020
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Housing Associations: Provident Societies
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of housing associations who are registered as Industrial and Provident Societies; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	106892
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2020 answer text <p>Organisations that were previously registered as industrial and provident societies are now classified as registered societies, following the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014. However, not all registered societies were previously industrial and provident societies, given new entrants to the sector since 2014.</p><p>There are 789 private registered providers of social housing that are classified as registered societies. These providers own approximately 2.5 million of the 2.8 million homes owned by private registered providers.</p><p>In total, private registered providers as a whole were responsible for delivering 47,040 affordable homes in 2018/2019, of which 44,918 were new build. We are unable to disaggregate between former industrial and provident societies, current registered societies, and private registered providers more generally.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher grouped question UIN 106893 question first answered 27/10/2020 14:50:57 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1245407

registered interest
date	21/10/2020
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Housing Associations: Provident Societies
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of homes (a) owned by and (b) being built by housing associations registered as industrial and provident societies; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	106893
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2020 answer text <p>Organisations that were previously registered as industrial and provident societies are now classified as registered societies, following the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014. However, not all registered societies were previously industrial and provident societies, given new entrants to the sector since 2014.</p><p>There are 789 private registered providers of social housing that are classified as registered societies. These providers own approximately 2.5 million of the 2.8 million homes owned by private registered providers.</p><p>In total, private registered providers as a whole were responsible for delivering 47,040 affordable homes in 2018/2019, of which 44,918 were new build. We are unable to disaggregate between former industrial and provident societies, current registered societies, and private registered providers more generally.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher grouped question UIN 106892 question first answered 27/10/2020 14:50:57 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1245422

registered interest
date	21/10/2020
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Local Government: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the oral contribution by the Prime Minister of 12 October 2020, official report, column 24, on covid-19 update, when he plans to release details of the £1 billion of new financial support for local authorities.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Steve Reed
uin	107005
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2020 answer text <p>On Thursday 22 October, the Secretary of State confirmed individual allocations of the £1 billion of new financial support for councils, further information can be found on the Government website at: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fnews%2Fjenrick-confirms-allocations-of-1-billion-funding-for-councils-this-winter&amp;data=04%7C01%7CLewis.Walker%40communities.gov.uk%7Ce86b901b6a6845464db508d8767d9f5e%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637389629193909693%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=xmyOOI4%2B%2BRIrgnsvgNmNMP%2BOqA4wN1nMU8S9SLxKivU%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/jenrick-confirms-allocations-of-1-billion-funding-for-councils-this-winter</a>.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall question first answered 02/11/2020 15:22:36 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1245477

registered interest
date	21/10/2020
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Evictions: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support landlords unable to evict problem tenants responsible for repeated anti-social behaviour during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Fylde
tabling member printed	Mark Menzies
uin	106969
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2020 answer text <p>The suspension of possession proceedings ended on 20 September and landlords can now progress possession claims through the courts. The most egregious cases, such as those involving anti-social behaviour, will be prioritised by the courts.</p><p>Additionally, as of 29 August, Coronavirus legislation extending the minimum notice period that must be given before a possession claim can be lodged in court was amended so that in the most serious circumstances, minimum notice period requirements have returned to what they were before COVID. This means that for claims relating to anti-social behaviour, the minimum amount of notice that a landlord must give has returned to four weeks. And for some discretionary grounds relating to nuisance/immoral or illegal use of the property, cases may now be progressed to court as soon as notice is given.</p><p>However, in order to further protect renters over winter, the Government has asked bailiffs not to carry out evictions in areas where gatherings are not allowed in homes. Bailiffs should not carry out evictions in tier 2 (high) and tier 3 (very high) local COVID alert areas. The Government is keeping this approach under review. In addition, the Government has issued guidance to bailiffs that they should not carry out evictions in the weeks leading up to and over Christmas other than in the most serious circumstances.</p><p>In parts of the country where bailiffs will not be carrying out evictions due to the need for stricter distancing, the police, local authorities and other local agencies will still be able to rely on the range of flexible tools and powers at their disposal to tackle anti-social behaviour, notably through the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 27/10/2020 15:00:08 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	3998 label Biography information for Mark Menzies

1245489

registered interest
date	21/10/2020
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Rented Housing: Repairs and Maintenance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to (a) ensure (i) private and (ii) social landlords respond to urgent repair requests in a timely manner and (b) scrutinise the time taken by landlords to respond to urgent repair requests.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	107068
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2020 answer text <p>All landlords must by law carry out repairs in a reasonable timeframe.</p><p>We have given local authorities strong powers to require urgent repairs if landlords in the private sector do not carry these out. If landlords do not comply, or if the risk is high enough, then local authorities can do remedial works themselves and recover the costs.</p><p>For social landlords, the Regulator of Social Housing sets standards that they are required to meet under the Home Standard. This includes all applicable requirements that provide for the health and safety for the occupants of their homes and a cost-effective repairs and maintenance service. If failure to meet the Home Standard has caused, or could have caused, serious detriment to tenants, the Regulator may intervene.</p><p>The repair obligations of all landlords, private and social, have not changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government recognises that restrictions imposed by current measures, to minimise the infection risks from COVID-19, may make this more difficult. Guidance has been issued to local authorities advising they take a common-sense, pragmatic and risk-based approach to enforcement.</p><p>It is a matter for private landlords to decide on how they best engage with their tenants and organise their repairs to meet their obligations. This does not mean that we do not take this matter seriously.</p><p>In July this year the Housing Ombudsman, which provides redress for social housing residents, published a new Complaint Handling Code which sets out good practice for landlords on how to respond to complaints effectively, fairly and in a timely way.</p><p>My officials are in regular contact with stakeholders across both the private and social sectors, discussing not just health and safety obligations, repairs and inspections but all aspects of both sectors.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 02/11/2020 17:55:31 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1245589

registered interest
date	21/10/2020
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Rents: Arrears
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to record the number of people in rent arrears.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	107146
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government has established an unprecedented package of support to protect renters throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and as with all policy making, this is informed by a range of data sources.</p><p>This comprehensive package includes a range of support for businesses to pay staff salaries which will support renters to sustain tenancies. We have also strengthened the welfare safety-net with a nearly £9.3 billion boost to the welfare system, including an extra £1 billion to increase Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates so that they cover the lowest 30 per cent of market rents.</p><p>For those renters who require additional support, there is an existing £180 million of Government funding for Discretionary Housing Payments made available this year, an increase of £40 million from last year and which is for councils to distribute to support renters with housing costs.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 02/11/2020 17:55:54 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1245676

registered interest
date	21/10/2020
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Housing: Construction
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Greenhalgh on 1 October (HL8296) and on 19 October (HL8828), what assessment they have made of the impact of tackling the practices of 'land banking' and 'intentional delay' on the market absorption rates in the housing market.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL9442
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2020 answer text <p>Sir Oliver Letwin’s 2018 independent Review of Build Out was clear that developers will only build new homes at a rate that the market can absorb. That is why our planning white paper sets out proposals to revise national policy to encourage masterplans and design codes for substantial development sites to see a variety of development types by different builders come forward at once. This will help speed up build out by ensuring new development can appeal to a broad range of market needs. We are also exploring further options to speed up the build out of residential development as part of the implementation of the white paper.</p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 28/10/2020 14:15:45 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans