Policy Press
Five Housing standards in the private sector
Abstract
Two chapters in the Green Paper cover the question of housing standards in the private sector. Standards in owner-occupied housing are considered under the broader heading of ‘Encouraging sustainable home ownership’. Questions of quality and condition are presented primarily as financial issues and related to the ability of owners to afford to invest in their homes. The ability of households to sustain themselves in home ownership in housing of reasonable quality is linked to their ability to meet housing acquisition costs or to sustain themselves through unforeseen difficulties in meeting mortgage payments. This is potentially a welcome development and one which has been paralleled by organisational changes within the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. It emphasises the point that the affordability of home ownership and problems associated with this are not simply linked to house acquisition costs but also with longer-term and ongoing repair and maintenance costs, a point which Right to Buy policies have never acknowledged.
Standards in the private rented sector are dealt with in a separate chapter of the Green Paper. The central thrust here is that the private rented sector is here to stay. It fulfils several important functions and indeed the government wishes to see it grow and prosper. Minor misunderstandings between landlords and the state such as rent control or security of tenure are a thing of the past. But there is disappointment that despite de-control and a massive input of public subsidy through Housing Benefit, private rented sector homes remain proportionately more likely to be in poor condition than other housing sectors and there are still many examples of incompetent or deliberately illegal management by private landlords.
Abstract
Two chapters in the Green Paper cover the question of housing standards in the private sector. Standards in owner-occupied housing are considered under the broader heading of ‘Encouraging sustainable home ownership’. Questions of quality and condition are presented primarily as financial issues and related to the ability of owners to afford to invest in their homes. The ability of households to sustain themselves in home ownership in housing of reasonable quality is linked to their ability to meet housing acquisition costs or to sustain themselves through unforeseen difficulties in meeting mortgage payments. This is potentially a welcome development and one which has been paralleled by organisational changes within the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. It emphasises the point that the affordability of home ownership and problems associated with this are not simply linked to house acquisition costs but also with longer-term and ongoing repair and maintenance costs, a point which Right to Buy policies have never acknowledged.
Standards in the private rented sector are dealt with in a separate chapter of the Green Paper. The central thrust here is that the private rented sector is here to stay. It fulfils several important functions and indeed the government wishes to see it grow and prosper. Minor misunderstandings between landlords and the state such as rent control or security of tenure are a thing of the past. But there is disappointment that despite de-control and a massive input of public subsidy through Housing Benefit, private rented sector homes remain proportionately more likely to be in poor condition than other housing sectors and there are still many examples of incompetent or deliberately illegal management by private landlords.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Notes on contributors v
- Acknowledgements ix
- Analysing New Labour housing policy 1
- New Labour transfers 29
- Stock transfer 47
- Housing standards in the private rented sector and the three Rs: regulation, responsibility and rights 73
- Housing standards in the private sector 93
- Allocating housing – or ‘letting’ people choose? 113
- From allocations to lettings: sea change or more of the same? 133
- Two steps forward for tenants? 157
- Developments in tenant participation: accounting for growth 179
- Managing anti-social behaviour – inclusion or exclusion? 201
- Anti-social behaviour and housing – can law be the answer? 221
- From housing management to the management of housing: the challenge of Best Value 241
- Registered Social Landlords, Best Value and the changing organisation and provision of social housing: a perspective from housing studies 263
- Restructuring social housing rents 285
- The politicalisation of social rents 305
- Housing Benefit 323
- Helping with housing costs? Unravelling the political economy of personal subsidy 343
- Making connections 363
- Index 385
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Notes on contributors v
- Acknowledgements ix
- Analysing New Labour housing policy 1
- New Labour transfers 29
- Stock transfer 47
- Housing standards in the private rented sector and the three Rs: regulation, responsibility and rights 73
- Housing standards in the private sector 93
- Allocating housing – or ‘letting’ people choose? 113
- From allocations to lettings: sea change or more of the same? 133
- Two steps forward for tenants? 157
- Developments in tenant participation: accounting for growth 179
- Managing anti-social behaviour – inclusion or exclusion? 201
- Anti-social behaviour and housing – can law be the answer? 221
- From housing management to the management of housing: the challenge of Best Value 241
- Registered Social Landlords, Best Value and the changing organisation and provision of social housing: a perspective from housing studies 263
- Restructuring social housing rents 285
- The politicalisation of social rents 305
- Housing Benefit 323
- Helping with housing costs? Unravelling the political economy of personal subsidy 343
- Making connections 363
- Index 385
