The Scottish Executive announced (in response to an earlier taskforce report) that it would publish a Private Sector Housing (Scotland) Bill within the lifetime of the existing Parliament, with the main purpose of giving local authorities new powers to encourage home-owners and private landlords to repair and maintain their properties and ultimately to oblige home owners to meet their responsibilities. Key features of the Bill would include modernising the powers available to local authorities to tackle house condition problems in the private sector; extending the existing 'tolerable standard; and reserve powers to allow the Executive to introduce a statutory system of single surveys (pending the outcome of a pilot scheme).
Source: Press release 16 December 2003, Scottish Executive (0131 556 8400)
Links: SE press release | CIH press release
Date: 2003-Dec
The Law Commission proposed that the law on renting homes should be shaped by a 'consumer approach'. Landlords and occupiers should be able to know their rights and obligations towards each other from the terms of their agreement; the contents of the agreement should be written down; the terms of the agreement should be fair and transparent; plain language should be used in the agreement; and the structure of the agreement should be user-friendly. Housing association tenants would have their rights improved to the level of council tenants in a new single social tenancy. The Commission said it would publish a draft Bill in 2004.
Source: Renting Homes, Cm 6018, Law Commission, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Nov
The baseline report was published of a study designed to monitor the development of local authority strategies in response to new powers to assist private sector households (and to identify good practice for broader dissemination).
Source: Implementing New Powers for Private Sector Housing Renewal, Housing Research Summary 203, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Summary (pdf)
Date: 2003-Nov
A study explored the experiences and intentions of buy-to-let landlords from a range of markets. Most landlords preferred to invest in their home area; all placed great importance on maintaining their portfolio to uphold its value; most had slowed portfolio expansion because capital values were increasing ahead of rents. Amongst investors for whom being a landlord was not a full-time occupation, buy-to-let was being used as a form of pension planning.
Source: David Rhodes and Mark Bevan, Private Landlords and Buy-to-let, Centre for Housing Policy/University of York (01904 433691) for Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: JRF Findings 013
Date: 2003-Oct
A report said that deposit guarantee schemes (instead of rent deposits) were effective in preventing homelessness, but were hampered by housing benefit administration and local housing markets. (A deposit guarantee is a guarantee that in the event of eventualities such as damage, theft or rent arrears, the landlord or letting agent would be recompensed up to an agreed level.)
Source: Julie Rugg, Deposit Guarantee Schemes in Scotland, Scottish Executive, TSO (0870 606 5566)
Date: 2003-Sep
Campaigners said that nearly 800 million of tenancy deposit money was being held without any form of statutory protection, and that 1 in 5 tenants said they had had all or part of their deposit unreasonably withheld. They called for a national tenancy deposit scheme to protect tenants' money to be included in the forthcoming Housing Bill.
Source: Stop the Tenancy Deposit Rip Off!, Shelter (020 7505 4699) and Citizens Advice
Links: Report (pdf) | Shelter press release (pdf) | Citizens Advice advice press release
Date: 2003-Aug
The government announced that, following consultation, it would not introduce a statutory scheme for protecting tenants' deposits, and that a voluntary pilot scheme would be wound up. Campaigners criticised the government for 'caving in' to pressure from landlords.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 16.6.03, column 2WS, TSO (0870 600 5522) | Press release 17.6.03, Shelter (020 7505 4699)
Links: Hansard | Shelter press release
Date: 2003-Jun
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive published (for consultation) a strategy document for the development of the private rented housing sector.
Source: Private Renting: A Strategic Framework, Northern Ireland Housing Executive (028 9024 0588)
Links: Report (pdf) | NIHE press release
Date: 2003-Jun
A report examined the scope for more private rented housing as part of securing housing choice and affordability. Case studies illustrated how private companies and social organisations were challenging commonly perceived barriers to mixed-use, mixed-tenure and rented housing through 'imaginative developments and investments'.
Source: Jacqui Daly, Gaye Pottinger and Tim Dixon, Residential Investment and Sustainable Communities, College of Estate Management (0118 986 1101)
Links: Summary (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jun
The government began consultation on the regulation of the private rented housing sector in Northern Ireland. It said the controlled sector was in decline, yet was governed by a complex legislative structure that was causing increasing difficulties for both landlords and tenants.
Source: Private Rented Sector: Northern Ireland - Proposals for reform, Department of Social Development/Northern Ireland Executive (028 9056 9216)
Links: Consultation document (pdf) | NIE press release
Date: 2003-Apr
An official taskforce published a comprehensive review of housing policy as it related to the condition of private sector housing in Scotland, and made recommendations for action to improve the housing stock. Campaigners said an opportunity had been lost to make lasting changes to the benefit of private tenants.
Source: Stewardship and Responsibility: Policy framework for private housing in Scotland - Final report, Housing Improvement Task Force/Scottish Executive, TSO (0870 606 5566) | Press release 13.3.03, Shelter Scotland (0131 473 7170)
Links: Report (pdf) | Report
Date: 2003-Mar
Researchers described the experiences of older tenants with private landlords in terms of harassment and unlawful eviction, financial abuse and the lack of privacy and control; explored the important role played by the private sector despite such problems; outlined the key problems created for older private tenants by the housing benefit and rent systems; and analysed the strengths and weaknesses of existing support options.
Source: Nancy Carlton, Frances Heywood, Misa Izuhara, Jenny Pannell, Tina Fear and Robin Means, The Harassment and Abuse of Older People in the Private Rented Sector, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary | Help the Aged press release
Date: 2003-Jan