MARKET
The Queen’s Speech, what does it mean for housing?
Normally held every year, the Queen’s Speech is part of the State Opening of Parliament, which allows Parliament to begin a new session and start its business. Written by the Government and delivered by the sovereign, the speech announces the legislation that the Government intends introducing, plus “other measures” that it intends bringing forward, giving it flexibility to introduce other bills during the session. This year’s speech, explains Ginetta Vedrickas, contained several ideas to help the country recover from the pandemic by creating new homes and jobs, including legislation that could affect the property market for buyers and renters RIGHTS FOR RENTERS The speech contained several initiatives that will impact upon the rentals market with implications for renters and landlords. Many organisations have campaigned for more rights for those renting in the private sector. Alicia Kennedy, Director of campaigning organisation Generation Rent, welcomed the intentions but called on the Government to do more, “While the Government’s intentions are positive, renters have already been waiting for tenancy reforms for two years. The Government rightly wants to learn the lessons of the pandemic but must use the months ahead to make sure that the
private rental market is suitable for all who now depend on it.” In the speech, the Government announced its intention to publish a Renters Reform White Paper this autumn that will contain more detail, which it believes shows that ministers are prepared to engage with the industry.
EXTEND LANDLORD REGISTER TO ENGLAND The Government also outlined its intention to bring in an initiative that Generation Rent has been campaigning for, a “landlord register”. Scotland and Wales already operate a similar system whereby renters can check online to see if their landlord is legitimate.
Bringing in a similar system would, says the organisation, “help drive criminal landlords out of the market and give renters a way to complain about mistreatment”.
REFORM THE DEPOSITS SYSTEM One of the biggest barriers to moving home when you are privately renting is finding the deposit for your next property while the landlord holds on to your current one. Timothy Douglas, Policy and Campaigns manager at Propertymark, calls upon the Government to give renters more help by introducing a system of lifetime deposits – transferable from one landlord to the next – as well as more penalties for poor landlords,
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