A policy paper from the opposition Labour Party examined the role of the private rented sector, and ways of supporting the growing numbers of people using it.
Source: Private Rented Housing: Providing stability and affordability for renters and families, Labour Party
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Dec
A report said that reforms and cuts to the local housing allowance risked seriously undermining access schemes designed to help homeless and vulnerably housed people find and sustain tenancies in the private rented sector.
Source: L gia Teixeira and Ben Sanders, Hitting Home: Access schemes and the changes to the local housing allowance, Crisis
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Dec
A study found that fewer than 2 per cent of shared rental properties in large cities were available to single people aged under 35 on benefits. It warned of a 'desperate' shortage of housing, particularly for those on benefits, that would see more people becoming homeless.
Source: Ben Sanders and Ligia Teixeira, No Room Available: Study of the availability of shared accommodation, Crisis
Links: Report | Crisis press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2012-Dec
A report examined the health impacts of welfare reform on tenants living in the private rented sector. Welfare reforms were already having a detrimental effect on the health and well-being of private tenants who claimed housing benefit, whether in work or not but tenants had little, if any, opportunity to improve their situation. They chose to remain living in cold and unsafe housing because of fear that complaints might lead to eviction or higher rents. Feelings of insecurity, combined with trying to live on a small budget, contributed to increased levels of stress and anxiety.
Source: Gill Leng Housing Solutions (with Arc43 and Neil Bateman), Poor Homes, Poor Health To Heat or to Eat? Private sector tenant choices in 2012, Pro-Housing Alliance
Links: Report | PHA press release
Date: 2012-Nov
A report examined the barriers to the build-to-let market, and presented a model that could address these by bringing together housing associations and institutional investors to develop and manage market-rented homes.
Source: Diane Diacon, Tom Moore, Jen Pearce, and Jim Vine, Building New Homes for Rent: Creating a tipping point, Building and Social Housing Foundation
Date: 2012-Nov
A study examined the impact of changes to housing benefit and local housing allowance on claimants and landlords in the private rented sector in Northern Ireland. There was relatively low claimant awareness of the changes, with 6 out of 10 saying they knew 'nothing at all' about them. There was widespread concern among landlords about the potential repercussions for their business if housing benefit were to be paid direct to tenants.
Source: Christina Beatty, Ian Cole, Stephen Green, Peter Kemp, Ben Marshall, Ryan Powell, and Ian Wilson, Monitoring the Impact of Recent Measures Affecting Housing Benefit and Local Housing Allowances in the Private Rented Sector in Northern Ireland: Findings from the Stage 1 surveys of landlords and claimants, Northern Ireland Executive
Links: Report | NIE press release
Date: 2012-Oct
A report examined the extent to which different regulatory frameworks across Europe had generated different incentives to provide private rental housing; to live in private rental housing; and to fund that housing. England was the only country reviewed where the private rented sector had been growing rapidly in recent years. In most countries the sector had declined, often accompanied by an increase in owner-occupation. Well conceived and well managed regulation could enhance the private rented sector for both tenants and landlords.
Source: The Private Rented Sector in the New Century: A comparative approach, Knowledge Centre for Housing Economics (Denmark)
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Oct
Campaigners called for a better deal for people in private rented accommodation. They set out a proposal for a 'stable rental contract' that would (among other things) give renters 5 years in their home during which they could not be evicted without a good reason, and allow landlords to increase rents annually in line with inflation during the five years.
Source: Robbie de Santos, A Better Deal: Towards more stable private renting, Shelter
Links: Report | Shelter press release | Labour Party press release | Guardian report
Date: 2012-Sep
The report of a government-commissioned review (led by Adrian Montague) examined barriers to institutional investment in private rented homes. It made a series of recommendations to speed up the timescale for building the private rented homes needed to meet existing and growing demand. These included waiving affordable housing requirements on new developments of homes specifically for private rent, or reviewing stalled sites to see whether some of the new homes planned could be made available to rent rather than sale.
Source: Review of the Barriers to Institutional Investment in Private Rented Homes, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | DCLG press release | De Montfort University press release | BCC press release | CBI press release | CIH press release | CLA press release | NHF press release | NLA press release | RICS press release | Shelter press release | BBC report | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | Inside Housing report | Public Finance report
Date: 2012-Aug
A think-tank report said that the planned conversion of the London Olympic Village to 1,400 high-quality long-term private rental homes should serve as a model for how to tackle the housing crisis. It called on local authorities to designate land for private rented development rather than for residential development in general; and it recommended that central government support the private rented sector as a strategic priority.
Source: Vidhya Alakeson, Making Institutional Investment in the Private Rented Sector Work, Resolution Foundation
Links: Report | Resolution press release
Date: 2012-Jul
A study found that in over one-third of local authorities in England, a family claiming maximum local housing allowance would be unable to afford the cheapest quarter of rents. Urban areas and seaside towns were more likely to be largely unaffordable for families claiming local housing allowance, and were also more likely to contain a high proportion of families affected by the coalition government's 2011 reforms.
Source: Liam Reynolds, The Affordability of Private Renting for Families Claiming Local Housing Allowance, Shelter
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Jul
The Welsh Government began consultation on proposals for legislation that would require the mandatory registration and licensing of private landlords, as well as letting and managing agents in the private rented housing sector.
Source: Proposals for a Better Private Rented Sector in Wales, Welsh Government
Links: Consultation document
Date: 2012-Jul
The Labour Party published a policy document on the private rented sector. It called for a professional lettings market in which unscrupulous agents could no longer hit landlords and tenants with 'rip-off' charges.
Source: Private Rented Housing, Labour Party
Links: Policy document | Labour Party press release | NLA press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2012-Jul
Date: 2012-Jun
A paper examined the problems faced by a new generation of families who were living in private rented accommodation out of necessity rather than choice. Private renters were much less likely to know their neighbours, volunteer, or vote. The high cost of renting and moving presented barriers to renters taking up jobs, and dampened consumer spending by reducing disposable income. Families wanted to put down roots in their community: but in an overheated market their choices were severely limited.
Source: Robbie de Santos, Homes Fit for Families? The case for stable private renting, Shelter
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Mar
An article said that some of the strongest proportional growth in the privately rented housing sector in England and Wales had been in less prosperous areas where it had traditionally been under-represented, and that the sector was housing an increasing proportion of economically inactive tenants. However, in key cities, particularly London, the sector's growth had been influenced by increasing numbers of mobile workers and students. More recently, growth had been influenced by 'buy-to-let' mortgages, borrowing constraints, and home-owners unable to sell.
Source: Donald Houston and Paul Sissons, 'The changing geography of privately rented housing in England and Wales', Urban Studies, Volume 49 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Feb
A study examined the needs and experiences of new migrants living in the private rented sector – often in the poorest areas. Existing policies and services often ignored them or were inappropriate.
Source: John Perry, UK Migrants and the Private Rented Sector: A policy and practice report from the Housing and Migration Network, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Date: 2012-Feb