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1247040

registered interest
date	30/10/2020
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	Private Rented Housing: Standards
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 assessment his Department has made of the level of substandard housing in the private sector in (a) Poplar and Limehouse constituency and (b) the UK.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	109704
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>My department publishes the English Housing Survey, which provides information on the housing stock in England including the decency of homes in the private rented sector. The survey reported that in 2008 44 per cent of privately rented homes did not meet the Decent Homes Standard, but that this had improved to 25 per cent by 2018. English Housing Survey results can be found at <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fcollections%2Fenglish-housing-survey&amp;data=04%7C01%7CPSChristopherPincher%40communities.gov.uk%7Cde2c115f67d64aadbc9b08d882650b4a%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637402717776928740%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=BEgxBb3dzyeZ6yA7s58NkFuip0c5m3gF22Gdo3aSkE4%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/english-housing-survey</a>.</p><p>The English Housing Survey does not provide data at a constituency level and this information is not held by this department. However, local authorities have an obligation under the Housing Act 2004 to keep housing conditions in their area under review for all tenures, including the private rented sector, so this information may therefore be held by the relevant local authority.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 09/11/2020 14:34:11 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1247041

registered interest
date	30/10/2020
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	Landlords
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to increase sanctions for rogue landlords.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	109705
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2020 answer text <p>Through the Housing and Planning Act 2016 we have already introduced strong enforcement powers for local authorities to tackle rogue landlords. These include the introduction of civil penalties of up to £30,000 and banning orders for use against the worst and most persistent offenders. We have also extended rent repayment orders which require a landlord to repay rent when they have not complied with the law.</p><p>In addition, my Department has also created the database of rogue landlords and property agents and, as part of the Renters’ Reform Bill, we have committed to widening access to the database to empower tenants to make more informed choices</p><p>Since 2019 we have awarded over £6 million in grant funding to local authorities to boost their enforcement work, fostering innovative approaches and sharing best practice to tackle the minority of landlords who deliberately flout the law.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 04/11/2020 15:58:26 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1247043

registered interest
date	30/10/2020
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	Private Rented Housing: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to increase the use of rent repayment orders to compensate tenants in the event that they are found to be living in sub-standard properties.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	109706
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2020 answer text <p>Local authorities enforce standards in privately rented homes. If they identify health and safety hazards or poor conditions, they have strong powers to oblige landlords to remedy these. This includes powers to seek rent repayment orders for up to 12 months rent for legal breaches, including letting out substandard properties.</p><p>Rent repayment orders were extended through the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to cover a wide range of offences. If a local housing authority becomes aware that a landlord has been convicted of any of these offences, it must consider applying for a rent repayment order. Tenants are also able to submit a claim for a rent repayment order directly to the First-tier Tribunal.</p><p>Local housing authorities are required to develop and document their own policy on when to prosecute and when to apply for a rent repayment order and should decide each case independently. I have no plans to change this system.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 04/11/2020 16:24:28 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1247047

registered interest
date	30/10/2020
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	Private Rented Housing: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce minimum property standards to require landlords to register and prove their property is in an acceptable condition.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	109707
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>We are exploring the introduction of minimum standards for privately rented properties as part of our comprehensive review of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), the tool used by local authorities to assess standards in the private rented sector.</p><p>This review has begun and is looking into new minimum standards for all hazards, including fire, damp and excess cold. This will make the system easier to understand for landlords and tenants, correct the disconnect between the HHSRS and other legislative standards, and facilitate the effective enforcement of housing standards by local authorities.</p><p>Regarding a requirement for landlords to register, we want to strike the right balance between supporting good landlords and tackling criminals. In April 2018, using powers under the Housing and Planning Act 2016, we introduced a national database of rogue landlords and letting agents for local authorities to target the worst offenders and prevent them from operating, to better protect tenants. Our consultation on how to open up and extend information on the database to tenants closed on 12 October 2019 and we will respond in due course.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 09/11/2020 14:35:06 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1247049

registered interest
date	30/10/2020
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	Private Rented Housing: Standards
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 takes to (a) monitor and (b) regulate the standard of housing in the private rental sector; and if he will place in the Library the criteria used as part of that monitoring process.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	109708
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>(a) Standards of housing in the private rented sector are monitored through the English Housing Survey, which my Department publishes and which can be found at <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fcollections%2Fenglish-housing-survey&amp;data=04%7C01%7CPSChristopherPincher%40communities.gov.uk%7Cde2c115f67d64aadbc9b08d882650b4a%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637402717776928740%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=BEgxBb3dzyeZ6yA7s58NkFuip0c5m3gF22Gdo3aSkE4%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/english-housing-survey</a>. The survey reports that in 2008 44 per cent of privately rented homes did not meet the Decent Homes Standard, but that this had improved to 25 per cent by 2018.</p><p>(b) Local authorities have strong powers to tackle poor standards in the private rented sector. These powers were strengthened by the Housing and Planning Act 2016 which introduced financial penalties of up to £30,000, extended Rent Repayment Orders and introduced Banning Orders for the most serious and prolific offenders.</p><p>In addition, the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 has empowered tenants, for the first time, to take action in the courts for breach of contract on the grounds that the property is unfit for human habitation. The remedies available to the tenant are an order by the court requiring the landlord to take action to reduce or remove the hazard and damages to compensate them for having to live in a property which was not fit for human habitation.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 09/11/2020 14:36:01 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1247050

registered interest
date	30/10/2020
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce a cap on rent rises that is linked to inflation.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	109709
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>Landlords cannot in general increase rent without their tenant’s permission, and there are no plans to change the rules regarding rent rises.</p><p>The Government does not support the introduction of rent controls to set the level of rent at the outset of a tenancy. Historical evidence suggests that these would discourage investment in the sector, and would lead to declining property standards as a result, which would not help landlords or tenants.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 09/11/2020 14:36:23 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1247059

registered interest
date	30/10/2020
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	Service Charges: Greater London
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 assessment his Department has made of the the effect of landlord practices in (a) calculation, (b) charging and (c) administering service charges on leaseholders in (a) Poplar and Limehouse constituency and (b) London.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	109710
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government believes very strongly that service charges should be transparent and communicated effectively, and that there should be a clear route to challenge or redress if things go wrong.  The law is clear that service charges must be reasonable and, where costs relate to work or services, the work or services must be of a reasonable standard. <br> <br>Disputes may be resolved informally between leaseholders and the freeholder, or leaseholders may make an application to the First-tier Tribunal to make a determination on the reasonableness of their service charges. There are two service charge codes of practice approved by the Secretary of State for the residential leasehold sector and private retirement housing published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Association of Retirement Housing Managers, which can be taken into account at court or tribunal proceedings where relevant. <br> <br>The department does not hold information about service charge calculation and administration in Poplar and Limehouse or London, nor trends in disputes over service charges, how they are challenged or resolved. Service charges are the most common subject for enquiries to the Leasehold Advisory Service. Free initial advice regarding service charges as well as other leasehold matters may be obtained via the Leasehold Advisory Service, the specialist advisory body funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to provide assistance to leaseholders. <br> <br>The Government established an independent working group, chaired by Lord Best, to raise standards across the property sector, which also considered how fees such as service charges should be presented to consumers. The working group published its final report to Government (see: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fregulation-of-property-agents-working-group-report&amp;data=04%7C01%7CParliamentary%40communities.gov.uk%7C5aaa4f5027c944e785a308d880cca46c%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637400963697262532%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=9brhMCqKZAquELOrOu8XEyODxaEBDV8rNnlsOus2kF0%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulation-of-property-agents-working-group-report</a> ) and we are considering the report’s recommendations and will announce next steps in due course.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher grouped question UIN 109713 question first answered 04/11/2020 15:59:47 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1247064

registered interest
date	30/10/2020
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	Service Charges
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 assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of (a) the transparency of service charges and (b) the level of consultation with people paying services charges on their landlord's maintenance and repair programmes.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	109711
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government believes very strongly that service charges should be transparent and communicated effectively, and that there should be a clear route to challenge or redress if things go wrong.  The law is clear that service charges must be reasonable and, where costs relate to work or services, the work or services must be of a reasonable standard. <br> <br> Disputes may be resolved informally between leaseholders and the freeholder, or leaseholders may make an application to the First-tier Tribunal to make a determination on the reasonableness of their service charges. There are two service charge codes of practice approved by the Secretary of State for the residential leasehold sector and private retirement housing published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Association of Retirement Housing Managers, which can be taken into account at court or tribunal proceedings where relevant. <br> <br> The Department does not hold information about the average number of and category types for service charge components, nor the average service charge amount in London. We also do not hold information on trends in incidences where leaseholders challenge their service charge because work was not undertaken, or because they do not have access to the service provided. Free initial advice regarding service charges as well as other leasehold matters may be obtained via the Leasehold Advisory Service, the specialist advisory body funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to provide assistance to leaseholders. <br> <br> The law requires that leaseholders paying variable service charges must be consulted before a landlord carries out qualifying works or enters into a long-term agreement for the provision of services (Section 20 of the of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985). <br> <br> The Government established an independent working group chaired by Lord Best to raise standards across the property sector, which also considered improvements to the transparency of service charges and major works consultations. The working group published its final report to Government (see: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fregulation-of-property-agents-working-group-report&amp;data=04%7C01%7CParliamentary%40communities.gov.uk%7Cb7459e1d299547fbc81f08d8855a6d3f%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637405970705830734%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=gkXgjwxLOaJ4Z%2B9cpi0XRAvji%2Bl0a94gpA1Wo7HLdKA%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulation-of-property-agents-working-group-report</a> ). We are considering the report’s recommendations and will announce next steps in due course.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 109712 109714 109715 109716 question first answered 10/11/2020 15:35:10 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1247066

registered interest
date	30/10/2020
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	Service Charges: Greater London
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 assessment his Department has made of the average (a) number and (b) category types for service charge components in London; and what recent estimate he has made of average service charges in London.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	109712
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government believes very strongly that service charges should be transparent and communicated effectively, and that there should be a clear route to challenge or redress if things go wrong.  The law is clear that service charges must be reasonable and, where costs relate to work or services, the work or services must be of a reasonable standard. <br> <br> Disputes may be resolved informally between leaseholders and the freeholder, or leaseholders may make an application to the First-tier Tribunal to make a determination on the reasonableness of their service charges. There are two service charge codes of practice approved by the Secretary of State for the residential leasehold sector and private retirement housing published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Association of Retirement Housing Managers, which can be taken into account at court or tribunal proceedings where relevant. <br> <br> The Department does not hold information about the average number of and category types for service charge components, nor the average service charge amount in London. We also do not hold information on trends in incidences where leaseholders challenge their service charge because work was not undertaken, or because they do not have access to the service provided. Free initial advice regarding service charges as well as other leasehold matters may be obtained via the Leasehold Advisory Service, the specialist advisory body funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to provide assistance to leaseholders. <br> <br> The law requires that leaseholders paying variable service charges must be consulted before a landlord carries out qualifying works or enters into a long-term agreement for the provision of services (Section 20 of the of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985). <br> <br> The Government established an independent working group chaired by Lord Best to raise standards across the property sector, which also considered improvements to the transparency of service charges and major works consultations. The working group published its final report to Government (see: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fregulation-of-property-agents-working-group-report&amp;data=04%7C01%7CParliamentary%40communities.gov.uk%7Cb7459e1d299547fbc81f08d8855a6d3f%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637405970705830734%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=gkXgjwxLOaJ4Z%2B9cpi0XRAvji%2Bl0a94gpA1Wo7HLdKA%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulation-of-property-agents-working-group-report</a> ). We are considering the report’s recommendations and will announce next steps in due course.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 109711 109714 109715 109716 question first answered 10/11/2020 15:35:10 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1247067

registered interest
date	30/10/2020
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	Coronavirus: Disease Control
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 ensure that local authorities subject to Tier 3 local covid-19 alert level restrictions are able to balance their budgets in financial year 2020-21.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Steve Reed
uin	109375
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2020 answer text <p>Government has provided £6.4 billion directly to councils to help them support their communities in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and is now providing additional funding to support the recent announcement of additional national restrictions. The Government has also introduced a co-payment scheme, designed to help local authorities recoup some of the irrecoverable losses in sales, fees and charges income in 2020/21.</p><p>We recognise that even with the considerable support already provided, there will be individual authorities with either unique circumstances or residual issues resulting in unmanageable pressures. We will continue to work with local government to ensure they are managing as the pandemic progresses and that we have a collective understanding of the costs they are facing. We would ask that any local authority who is concerned about their financial position, or ability to set a balanced budget, should approach MHCLG for discussion.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall question first answered 04/11/2020 15:53:40 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed