Councils want their residents to live in homes that are decent, safe and secure, and councils’ housing teams work hard to ensure homes are fit for purpose.
Key messages
- We support the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation and Liability for Housing Standards) Bill. Councils want their residents to live in homes that are decent, safe and secure, and councils’ housing teams work hard to ensure homes are fit for purpose.
- There is no general obligation for private landlords to ensure properties are fit for human habitation. The growth in the private rented sector has not been matched by resources for environmental health and trading standards teams. As a result, these vital services are under severe financial pressure.
- Council and social housing tenants have a range of existing mechanisms to raise complaints. Local authorities are keen to work with the Government to strengthen these and clarify the statutory powers of the Housing Ombudsman. The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) must also be reviewed and simplified, with a proper focus on safety.
- We welcome the powers granted by the Government for councils to impose civil penalties of up to £30,000 for the worst housing offences. Councils already have powers to introduce discretionary licensing schemes for private landlords, but the Government should go further by providing greater flexibility to extend these schemes.
- Local government faces a funding gap in excess of £5 billion by 2020. The Government could help councils enforce housing standards by removing some of the financial burden from interventions such as discretionary licensing, and by ensuring that councils are able to reclaim the full costs for prosecutions.
- Taking court action against a landlord would be a significant cost to some tenants, and bringing a successful case under the legislation may require substantial financial support to be provided. A lack of time and resource could leave all but the most financially secure tenants unable to fully exercise their right to legal challenge.
- To safeguard the quality of their homes, council landlords need a stable financial environment. The Government can support this by committing to removing the housing borrowing cap for all councils, and granting full local flexibility over Right To Buy receipts.
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Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation and Liability for Housing Standards) Bill Committee Stage, House of Commons 20 June 2018