Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

In my statement to the House on 29 October 2026, I set out the latest position on local government reorganisation, including in Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool. The previous decision for the area has been withdrawn to allow more time for consideration, and all proposals remain under consideration. We recognise the uncertainty this creates for councils and will inform them at the earliest practical opportunity once consideration is complete.

The Government has also committed to provide £450,000 per previously announced new unitary in transition funding, recognising the costs incurred by areas in good faith. These payments will be made in the coming weeks and are not dependent on the outcome of the review.

I will provide a further update on outcomes by Christmas, and every area will have an outcome by early 2027.

In my statement to the House on 29 October 2026, I set out the latest position on local government reorganisation, including in Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool. The previous decision for the area has been withdrawn to allow more time for consideration, and all proposals remain under consideration. We recognise the uncertainty this creates for councils and will inform them at the earliest practical opportunity once consideration is complete.

The Government has also committed to provide £450,000 per previously announced new unitary in transition funding, recognising the costs incurred by areas in good faith. These payments will be made in the coming weeks and are not dependent on the outcome of the review.

I will provide a further update on outcomes by Christmas, and every area will have an outcome by early 2027.

In my statement to the House on 29 October 2026, I set out the latest position on local government reorganisation, including in Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool. The previous decision for the area has been withdrawn to allow more time for consideration, and all proposals remain under consideration. We recognise the uncertainty this creates for councils and will inform them at the earliest practical opportunity once consideration is complete.

The Government has also committed to provide £450,000 per previously announced new unitary in transition funding, recognising the costs incurred by areas in good faith. These payments will be made in the coming weeks and are not dependent on the outcome of the review.

I will provide a further update on outcomes by Christmas, and every area will have an outcome by early 2027.

The Government wants to deliver devolution for all parts of England by the end of 2028 as quickly as possible, including Gloucestershire. In areas where there is not local consensus on the right devolution pathway, we are working with local leaders to reach this.

Incubator capital for the financial year 2027/28 is being held in reserve for areas like Gloucestershire, at the same per capita rate as areas with emerging Strategic Authorities, and will be allocated as and when agreement on devolution is reached.

Regulations came into force on 1 May 2026 requiring private rented sector landlords to provide specified information in writing to tenants at the outset of new Assured Periodic Tenancies. We expect landlords will include this information in written tenancy agreements so that tenants receive key information about the terms and conditions of their tenancy. Guidance on what information should be included can be found on gov.uk here.

The government does not consider it appropriate to mandate a specific tenancy agreement template or wording. A single approach will not be suitable for every tenancy, and landlords and tenants should be able to agree terms that reflect their individual circumstances. Landlords should ensure tenants have sufficient opportunity to understand, or seek advice on, the terms of any tenancy agreement before entering into it.

Tenancy agreements are contractual arrangements between landlords and tenants which set out the terms of occupation and the rights and responsibilities that apply to the tenancy. Legal tenancies can only be granted to adults aged 18 or over.

Housing authorities have an important role to play in safeguarding vulnerable young people. Working Together to Safeguard Children statutory guidance 2026 sets out the responsibilities of individual organisations responsibilities under Section 11 of the Children Act 2004.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 is introducing new legislative measures to strengthen multi-agency child protection and prevent children falling through the cracks, including a clear legal duty for agencies to share information for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and establishing multi-agency child protection teams in every local area.

Guidance on how to use the ‘Register your rental property’ service will be published on gov.uk in due course.

The service has been designed in collaboration with users and stakeholder groups. There will also be a helpdesk that landlords can contact for support or to register offline if they need to.

Further information can be found on our ‘Register your rental property’ campaign site on gov.uk here.

The government is considering how different agencies and organisations, including HM Revenue and Customs and local authorities, will be able to access the relevant data collected on the landlord registration service to support their statutory functions.

We will carefully assess the potential benefits and risks to the different parties of sharing different data points and will ensure that any sharing of information is proportionate and is in accordance with data protection and landlord privacy rights.

Details of the data sharing arrangements with other organisations will be set out in future legislation, which will be announced after the initial rollout of the service is completed.

Local authorities will have access to the full range of information in order to carry out relevant enforcement duties.

The registration window for landlords with properties in the East of England, including Essex, will open on 15 January 2027. However, landlords in any region will be able to register early from 15 December 2026, if they wish to.

Local authorities in the East of England will have access to the information contained on the service from 15 April 2027.

Prior to the Secretary of State's oral statement to Parliament on 7 September 2026 on local government reorganisation, six Judicial Review claims had been issued in relation to decisions. The decisions that were the subject of those proceedings have since been withdrawn. It is a longstanding principle that the Government does not publish or comment on legal advice.

I set out the latest position on local government reorganisation to Parliament in my oral statement of 29 October.

As we approach implementation of the Register your rental property service, we will continue to take feedback from users and make continuous improvements to the service post launch, as is normal practice when developing digital services.

We know landlords with larger portfolios want enhanced functionality to manage their properties on the service. To fulfil this need, we are allowing a landlord or letting agent organisation to give appropriate members of staff access to manage the rental properties they are responsible for.

Following launch we will look at integration with systems used by organisational landlords, and will consider the viability of bulk payments for this group. We believe this approach would add greater value than manual bulk uploads, which we have concluded would not offer significant time savings for landlords.

We recognise that, for many landlords, agents are their primary source of advice and support. While responsibility for making and updating entries lies with landlords, agents will be well placed to help landlords understand registration requirements, maintain accurate property information, and ensure that landlords continue to meet their legal obligations.

From launch, we will allow for letting and property agents to support landlords by inputting some of the information required for the registration of properties. Landlords must initiate registration, but will be able to delegate to their letting or property agent to supply tenancy and health and safety information on their behalf if the agent agrees.

We are committed to ensuring the service is secure and to protecting the privacy of our users. We are using modern security tools to continuously protect the service, monitor it for vulnerabilities or suspicious activity, and help the team identify and respond to security issues. We have been assessing our services against the National Cyber Security Centre Cyber Assessment Framework, conducting penetration testing and working with MHCLG's Data Protection Officer to produce a Data Protection Impact Assessment, Data Sharing Agreements with local councils, and privacy statements for landlords, local councils and letting agent users.

Future legislation will set out which landlord and property records will be made available to the public and shared with any further organisations when the public-facing service is launched at a later date.

The digitisation of gas and electrical safety certificates is beyond the scope of the Register your rental property service. However, we will build the service in such a way that it is able to draw information from digitised datasets going forwards.

We recognise that the registration fee of £65 has been set at a higher level than the figures included in the full Impact Assessment published with the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. We intend to perform a full Impact Assessment ahead of stage two of implementation where we can consider the impacts and benefits which come from the public interface.

The government has set the fee at a level that balances fairness and sustainability for landlords with the relevant costs of operating the service and tackling non-compliance in the private rented sector. Fee income will support enforcement activity, helping councils build the staff and skills needed to identify and tackle non-compliance, exercise their legal powers, and compliance and drive landlords who persistently break the law out of the sector

We are clear in guidance that local councils should be mindful of any cost impacts to landlords in setting fees for selective licensing schemes, particularly those who are already fully compliant with their obligations. Selective licensing is a separate regime to the service, and licence fees set by local councils are designed to ensure that the costs of operating licensing schemes are covered. As such, there is no overlap between these fees and registration fees for the service. However, we are continuing to review the use of selective licensing as we develop the Register your rental property service to prevent duplication.

As we approach implementation of the Register your rental property service, we will continue to take feedback from users and make continuous improvements to the service post launch, as is normal practice when developing digital services.

We know landlords with larger portfolios want enhanced functionality to manage their properties on the service. To fulfil this need, we are allowing a landlord or letting agent organisation to give appropriate members of staff access to manage the rental properties they are responsible for.

Following launch we will look at integration with systems used by organisational landlords, and will consider the viability of bulk payments for this group. We believe this approach would add greater value than manual bulk uploads, which we have concluded would not offer significant time savings for landlords.

We recognise that, for many landlords, agents are their primary source of advice and support. While responsibility for making and updating entries lies with landlords, agents will be well placed to help landlords understand registration requirements, maintain accurate property information, and ensure that landlords continue to meet their legal obligations.

From launch, we will allow for letting and property agents to support landlords by inputting some of the information required for the registration of properties. Landlords must initiate registration, but will be able to delegate to their letting or property agent to supply tenancy and health and safety information on their behalf if the agent agrees.

We are committed to ensuring the service is secure and to protecting the privacy of our users. We are using modern security tools to continuously protect the service, monitor it for vulnerabilities or suspicious activity, and help the team identify and respond to security issues. We have been assessing our services against the National Cyber Security Centre Cyber Assessment Framework, conducting penetration testing and working with MHCLG's Data Protection Officer to produce a Data Protection Impact Assessment, Data Sharing Agreements with local councils, and privacy statements for landlords, local councils and letting agent users.

Future legislation will set out which landlord and property records will be made available to the public and shared with any further organisations when the public-facing service is launched at a later date.

The digitisation of gas and electrical safety certificates is beyond the scope of the Register your rental property service. However, we will build the service in such a way that it is able to draw information from digitised datasets going forwards.

We recognise that the registration fee of £65 has been set at a higher level than the figures included in the full Impact Assessment published with the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. We intend to perform a full Impact Assessment ahead of stage two of implementation where we can consider the impacts and benefits which come from the public interface.

The government has set the fee at a level that balances fairness and sustainability for landlords with the relevant costs of operating the service and tackling non-compliance in the private rented sector. Fee income will support enforcement activity, helping councils build the staff and skills needed to identify and tackle non-compliance, exercise their legal powers, and compliance and drive landlords who persistently break the law out of the sector

We are clear in guidance that local councils should be mindful of any cost impacts to landlords in setting fees for selective licensing schemes, particularly those who are already fully compliant with their obligations. Selective licensing is a separate regime to the service, and licence fees set by local councils are designed to ensure that the costs of operating licensing schemes are covered. As such, there is no overlap between these fees and registration fees for the service. However, we are continuing to review the use of selective licensing as we develop the Register your rental property service to prevent duplication.

As we approach implementation of the Register your rental property service, we will continue to take feedback from users and make continuous improvements to the service post launch, as is normal practice when developing digital services.

We know landlords with larger portfolios want enhanced functionality to manage their properties on the service. To fulfil this need, we are allowing a landlord or letting agent organisation to give appropriate members of staff access to manage the rental properties they are responsible for.

Following launch we will look at integration with systems used by organisational landlords, and will consider the viability of bulk payments for this group. We believe this approach would add greater value than manual bulk uploads, which we have concluded would not offer significant time savings for landlords.

We recognise that, for many landlords, agents are their primary source of advice and support. While responsibility for making and updating entries lies with landlords, agents will be well placed to help landlords understand registration requirements, maintain accurate property information, and ensure that landlords continue to meet their legal obligations.

From launch, we will allow for letting and property agents to support landlords by inputting some of the information required for the registration of properties. Landlords must initiate registration, but will be able to delegate to their letting or property agent to supply tenancy and health and safety information on their behalf if the agent agrees.

We are committed to ensuring the service is secure and to protecting the privacy of our users. We are using modern security tools to continuously protect the service, monitor it for vulnerabilities or suspicious activity, and help the team identify and respond to security issues. We have been assessing our services against the National Cyber Security Centre Cyber Assessment Framework, conducting penetration testing and working with MHCLG's Data Protection Officer to produce a Data Protection Impact Assessment, Data Sharing Agreements with local councils, and privacy statements for landlords, local councils and letting agent users.

Future legislation will set out which landlord and property records will be made available to the public and shared with any further organisations when the public-facing service is launched at a later date.

The digitisation of gas and electrical safety certificates is beyond the scope of the Register your rental property service. However, we will build the service in such a way that it is able to draw information from digitised datasets going forwards.

We recognise that the registration fee of £65 has been set at a higher level than the figures included in the full Impact Assessment published with the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. We intend to perform a full Impact Assessment ahead of stage two of implementation where we can consider the impacts and benefits which come from the public interface.

The government has set the fee at a level that balances fairness and sustainability for landlords with the relevant costs of operating the service and tackling non-compliance in the private rented sector. Fee income will support enforcement activity, helping councils build the staff and skills needed to identify and tackle non-compliance, exercise their legal powers, and compliance and drive landlords who persistently break the law out of the sector

We are clear in guidance that local councils should be mindful of any cost impacts to landlords in setting fees for selective licensing schemes, particularly those who are already fully compliant with their obligations. Selective licensing is a separate regime to the service, and licence fees set by local councils are designed to ensure that the costs of operating licensing schemes are covered. As such, there is no overlap between these fees and registration fees for the service. However, we are continuing to review the use of selective licensing as we develop the Register your rental property service to prevent duplication.

As we approach implementation of the Register your rental property service, we will continue to take feedback from users and make continuous improvements to the service post launch, as is normal practice when developing digital services.

We know landlords with larger portfolios want enhanced functionality to manage their properties on the service. To fulfil this need, we are allowing a landlord or letting agent organisation to give appropriate members of staff access to manage the rental properties they are responsible for.

Following launch we will look at integration with systems used by organisational landlords, and will consider the viability of bulk payments for this group. We believe this approach would add greater value than manual bulk uploads, which we have concluded would not offer significant time savings for landlords.

We recognise that, for many landlords, agents are their primary source of advice and support. While responsibility for making and updating entries lies with landlords, agents will be well placed to help landlords understand registration requirements, maintain accurate property information, and ensure that landlords continue to meet their legal obligations.

From launch, we will allow for letting and property agents to support landlords by inputting some of the information required for the registration of properties. Landlords must initiate registration, but will be able to delegate to their letting or property agent to supply tenancy and health and safety information on their behalf if the agent agrees.

We are committed to ensuring the service is secure and to protecting the privacy of our users. We are using modern security tools to continuously protect the service, monitor it for vulnerabilities or suspicious activity, and help the team identify and respond to security issues. We have been assessing our services against the National Cyber Security Centre Cyber Assessment Framework, conducting penetration testing and working with MHCLG's Data Protection Officer to produce a Data Protection Impact Assessment, Data Sharing Agreements with local councils, and privacy statements for landlords, local councils and letting agent users.

Future legislation will set out which landlord and property records will be made available to the public and shared with any further organisations when the public-facing service is launched at a later date.

The digitisation of gas and electrical safety certificates is beyond the scope of the Register your rental property service. However, we will build the service in such a way that it is able to draw information from digitised datasets going forwards.

We recognise that the registration fee of £65 has been set at a higher level than the figures included in the full Impact Assessment published with the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. We intend to perform a full Impact Assessment ahead of stage two of implementation where we can consider the impacts and benefits which come from the public interface.

The government has set the fee at a level that balances fairness and sustainability for landlords with the relevant costs of operating the service and tackling non-compliance in the private rented sector. Fee income will support enforcement activity, helping councils build the staff and skills needed to identify and tackle non-compliance, exercise their legal powers, and compliance and drive landlords who persistently break the law out of the sector

We are clear in guidance that local councils should be mindful of any cost impacts to landlords in setting fees for selective licensing schemes, particularly those who are already fully compliant with their obligations. Selective licensing is a separate regime to the service, and licence fees set by local councils are designed to ensure that the costs of operating licensing schemes are covered. As such, there is no overlap between these fees and registration fees for the service. However, we are continuing to review the use of selective licensing as we develop the Register your rental property service to prevent duplication.

As we approach implementation of the Register your rental property service, we will continue to take feedback from users and make continuous improvements to the service post launch, as is normal practice when developing digital services.

We know landlords with larger portfolios want enhanced functionality to manage their properties on the service. To fulfil this need, we are allowing a landlord or letting agent organisation to give appropriate members of staff access to manage the rental properties they are responsible for.

Following launch we will look at integration with systems used by organisational landlords, and will consider the viability of bulk payments for this group. We believe this approach would add greater value than manual bulk uploads, which we have concluded would not offer significant time savings for landlords.

We recognise that, for many landlords, agents are their primary source of advice and support. While responsibility for making and updating entries lies with landlords, agents will be well placed to help landlords understand registration requirements, maintain accurate property information, and ensure that landlords continue to meet their legal obligations.

From launch, we will allow for letting and property agents to support landlords by inputting some of the information required for the registration of properties. Landlords must initiate registration, but will be able to delegate to their letting or property agent to supply tenancy and health and safety information on their behalf if the agent agrees.

We are committed to ensuring the service is secure and to protecting the privacy of our users. We are using modern security tools to continuously protect the service, monitor it for vulnerabilities or suspicious activity, and help the team identify and respond to security issues. We have been assessing our services against the National Cyber Security Centre Cyber Assessment Framework, conducting penetration testing and working with MHCLG's Data Protection Officer to produce a Data Protection Impact Assessment, Data Sharing Agreements with local councils, and privacy statements for landlords, local councils and letting agent users.

Future legislation will set out which landlord and property records will be made available to the public and shared with any further organisations when the public-facing service is launched at a later date.

The digitisation of gas and electrical safety certificates is beyond the scope of the Register your rental property service. However, we will build the service in such a way that it is able to draw information from digitised datasets going forwards.

We recognise that the registration fee of £65 has been set at a higher level than the figures included in the full Impact Assessment published with the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. We intend to perform a full Impact Assessment ahead of stage two of implementation where we can consider the impacts and benefits which come from the public interface.

The government has set the fee at a level that balances fairness and sustainability for landlords with the relevant costs of operating the service and tackling non-compliance in the private rented sector. Fee income will support enforcement activity, helping councils build the staff and skills needed to identify and tackle non-compliance, exercise their legal powers, and compliance and drive landlords who persistently break the law out of the sector

We are clear in guidance that local councils should be mindful of any cost impacts to landlords in setting fees for selective licensing schemes, particularly those who are already fully compliant with their obligations. Selective licensing is a separate regime to the service, and licence fees set by local councils are designed to ensure that the costs of operating licensing schemes are covered. As such, there is no overlap between these fees and registration fees for the service. However, we are continuing to review the use of selective licensing as we develop the Register your rental property service to prevent duplication.

As we approach implementation of the Register your rental property service, we will continue to take feedback from users and make continuous improvements to the service post launch, as is normal practice when developing digital services.

We know landlords with larger portfolios want enhanced functionality to manage their properties on the service. To fulfil this need, we are allowing a landlord or letting agent organisation to give appropriate members of staff access to manage the rental properties they are responsible for.

Following launch we will look at integration with systems used by organisational landlords, and will consider the viability of bulk payments for this group. We believe this approach would add greater value than manual bulk uploads, which we have concluded would not offer significant time savings for landlords.

We recognise that, for many landlords, agents are their primary source of advice and support. While responsibility for making and updating entries lies with landlords, agents will be well placed to help landlords understand registration requirements, maintain accurate property information, and ensure that landlords continue to meet their legal obligations.

From launch, we will allow for letting and property agents to support landlords by inputting some of the information required for the registration of properties. Landlords must initiate registration, but will be able to delegate to their letting or property agent to supply tenancy and health and safety information on their behalf if the agent agrees.

We are committed to ensuring the service is secure and to protecting the privacy of our users. We are using modern security tools to continuously protect the service, monitor it for vulnerabilities or suspicious activity, and help the team identify and respond to security issues. We have been assessing our services against the National Cyber Security Centre Cyber Assessment Framework, conducting penetration testing and working with MHCLG's Data Protection Officer to produce a Data Protection Impact Assessment, Data Sharing Agreements with local councils, and privacy statements for landlords, local councils and letting agent users.

Future legislation will set out which landlord and property records will be made available to the public and shared with any further organisations when the public-facing service is launched at a later date.

The digitisation of gas and electrical safety certificates is beyond the scope of the Register your rental property service. However, we will build the service in such a way that it is able to draw information from digitised datasets going forwards.

We recognise that the registration fee of £65 has been set at a higher level than the figures included in the full Impact Assessment published with the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. We intend to perform a full Impact Assessment ahead of stage two of implementation where we can consider the impacts and benefits which come from the public interface.

The government has set the fee at a level that balances fairness and sustainability for landlords with the relevant costs of operating the service and tackling non-compliance in the private rented sector. Fee income will support enforcement activity, helping councils build the staff and skills needed to identify and tackle non-compliance, exercise their legal powers, and compliance and drive landlords who persistently break the law out of the sector

We are clear in guidance that local councils should be mindful of any cost impacts to landlords in setting fees for selective licensing schemes, particularly those who are already fully compliant with their obligations. Selective licensing is a separate regime to the service, and licence fees set by local councils are designed to ensure that the costs of operating licensing schemes are covered. As such, there is no overlap between these fees and registration fees for the service. However, we are continuing to review the use of selective licensing as we develop the Register your rental property service to prevent duplication.

The New Homes Ombudsman Service is a voluntary service, independent of government. The government has committed to delivering a statutory New Homes Ombudsman and will set out further details in due course.

In addition to any protections set out in a contract, new build homes are normally issued with a 10-year new-build warranty given that these will be required by mortgage lenders. As a condition of obtaining a warranty, housebuilders will have to comply with the requirements of the relevant consumer code which set out how new home buyers can access redress.

The New Homes Ombudsman Service is a voluntary service, independent of government. The government has committed to delivering a statutory New Homes Ombudsman and will set out further details in due course.

In addition to any protections set out in a contract, new build homes are normally issued with a 10-year new-build warranty given that these will be required by mortgage lenders. As a condition of obtaining a warranty, housebuilders will have to comply with the requirements of the relevant consumer code which set out how new home buyers can access redress.

The Minister of State for Housing and Planning has not met with, and is not currently scheduled to meet with any NGOs to discuss the consultation on the first Environmental Delivery Plan (EDP).

Natural England is leading the consultation on the first EDP and is leading all engagement directly related to it.

Landlords are entitled to require a holding deposit of up to a week's rent in order to reserve a property. The Tenant Fees Act 2019 sets out the circumstances in which a landlord can retain a holding deposit, depending on the facts of the case.

Where a local authority finds a landlord has retained a holding deposit outside of the circumstance permitted by the Act, they can issue a financial penalty of up to £5000.

My Department has made no such specific assessment.

However, industry data indicates that 35,548 Build to Rent units were completed in England between the start of July 2024 and the end of June 2026 – an increase of 31% in the total number of Build to Rent units across the country.

Landlords are required to put a deposit received in relation to assured periodic tenancies into a government-approved Tenancy Deposit Protection (TDP) scheme.

These schemes act to ensure that a tenant gets their deposit back at the end of their tenancy, provided they meet the terms and conditions of their tenancy agreement.

If there is a dispute over the deposit, the tenant should contact the relevant TDP provider, and the provider can then advise them of the next steps.

My Department is currently reviewing the deposit system to ensure it works effectively and identify improvements which will ensure the best possible protection for tenants.

My Department engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, including letting agents and their representative bodies, throughout the development of the Renters’ Rights Act and our implementation roadmap.

This included engagement on our guidance and communications campaign materials to ensure that they met the needs of letting agents.

If a tenant wishes to serve a notice to quit for an Assured Periodic Tenancy that began before 1 May 2026, they will usually need to provide the length of notice set out in the tenancy agreement, providing this does not exceed two months.

In other words, if a tenancy agreement allowed tenants to give only one month’s notice before 1 May 2026, this is likely to still apply.

There are some limited circumstances where the requirements in the Renters’ Rights Act will apply and tenants will now need to give at least two months’ notice, regardless of what the tenancy agreement says. Further information can be found on gov.uk here.

The government recognises the harm caused when fraudulent operators misuse legitimate schemes.

Following recent cases, my Department has worked with tenancy deposit protection providers to strengthen safeguards, including adding a fraud disclaimer to insured deposit protection certificates, enhancing tenant communications about tenancy fraud, and reviewing verification and due diligence checks.

We are actively working with National Trading Standards, redress schemes, and other approved government schemes to consider whether further verification requirements are needed.

My Department has published revised guidance for local authorities in England on civil penalties, reflecting provisions in the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, which can be found on gov.uk here

Licensing schemes are designed and determined locally, and local authorities have the discretion to charge fees which cover the cost of running these schemes. They are not expected to profit from licensing. We would expect local authorities to make details of these fees, along with the rationale behind their determination, transparent and readily accessible.

My Department has published revised guidance for local authorities in England on civil penalties, reflecting provisions in the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, which can be found on gov.uk here

Licensing schemes are designed and determined locally, and local authorities have the discretion to charge fees which cover the cost of running these schemes. They are not expected to profit from licensing. We would expect local authorities to make details of these fees, along with the rationale behind their determination, transparent and readily accessible.

We continue to monitor trends across the private rented sector and are conducting a robust evaluation of the impact of the Renters’ Rights Act. Evaluation reports will be published two and five years after implementation.

Shared Ownership providers can already buy back Shared Ownership homes using their own resources or Recycled Capital Grant Funding. Decisions on individual buybacks remain at providers’ discretion.

As part of the government’s ongoing programme of improvements to Shared Ownership, we have committed to a comprehensive review of the functioning of buybacks as an exit route for shared owners. We have no current plans to publish standalone terms of reference for that review.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 9826 on 24 June 2026

My Department has made no such specific assessment.

Local authorities have powers to take enforcement action in relation to health and safety hazards in residential premises, including those let on a short term basis, and they have a duty to take action in relation to hazards at the most dangerous ‘category 1’ level.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) applies to relevant short-term holiday let accommodation where the premises fall within its scope. Responsible Persons for such premises are required to undertake and record a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment amongst other duties.

The final 2026-27 Local Government Finance Settlement makes available £78 billion in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England in 2026-27, a 6.1% increase compared to 2025-26. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is not ringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities such as enforcement in relation to health and safety hazards.

Local authorities have powers to take enforcement action in relation to health and safety hazards in residential premises, including those let on a short term basis, and they have a duty to take action in relation to hazards at the most dangerous ‘category 1’ level.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) applies to relevant short-term holiday let accommodation where the premises fall within its scope. Responsible Persons for such premises are required to undertake and record a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment amongst other duties.

The final 2026-27 Local Government Finance Settlement makes available £78 billion in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England in 2026-27, a 6.1% increase compared to 2025-26. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is not ringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities such as enforcement in relation to health and safety hazards.

Data on the number of residential properties in England that are used primarily as short-term lets is not centrally collected.

General figures relating to planning enforcement action from local planning authorities is published on gov.uk here.

Data on the number of residential properties in England that are used primarily as short-term lets is not centrally collected.

General figures relating to planning enforcement action from local planning authorities is published on gov.uk here.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 108467 on 3 February 2026.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 1 September 2026 (HCWS298).

Planning obligations are an important mechanism for mitigating the impacts of development, and securing infrastructure and affordable housing. As is the case in London currently, where the mayor calls-in an application they can become responsible for the Section 106 agreement which is used to secure specified obligations, including any which are required before development can commence.

The new National Planning Policy Framework, published on 17 August, is clear that development plans should, at the most appropriate level, set out the contributions expected from development to support the delivery of the plan. This should include the levels and types of affordable housing provision required, along with other infrastructure. Planning law requires all decision-makers to consider applications for planning permission in accordance with the development plan (which includes both the Spatial Development Strategy and local plan for the area) unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

The consultation also covers proposals to extend the power to charge a Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy (MCIL) to Mayors of strategic authorities outside of London. MCIL would provide a mechanism to raise revenue from new development to help fund strategic infrastructure required to support housing delivery and economic growth.

Mayors would also be required to consult affected Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) when using the powers. LPAs are well placed to identify likely planning contributions required to support development, including contributions towards infrastructure and local services where necessary.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 1 September 2026 (HCWS298).

Planning obligations are an important mechanism for mitigating the impacts of development, and securing infrastructure and affordable housing. As is the case in London currently, where the mayor calls-in an application they can become responsible for the Section 106 agreement which is used to secure specified obligations, including any which are required before development can commence.

The new National Planning Policy Framework, published on 17 August, is clear that development plans should, at the most appropriate level, set out the contributions expected from development to support the delivery of the plan. This should include the levels and types of affordable housing provision required, along with other infrastructure. Planning law requires all decision-makers to consider applications for planning permission in accordance with the development plan (which includes both the Spatial Development Strategy and local plan for the area) unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

The consultation also covers proposals to extend the power to charge a Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy (MCIL) to Mayors of strategic authorities outside of London. MCIL would provide a mechanism to raise revenue from new development to help fund strategic infrastructure required to support housing delivery and economic growth.

Mayors would also be required to consult affected Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) when using the powers. LPAs are well placed to identify likely planning contributions required to support development, including contributions towards infrastructure and local services where necessary.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 1 September 2026 (HCWS298).

Planning obligations are an important mechanism for mitigating the impacts of development, and securing infrastructure and affordable housing. As is the case in London currently, where the mayor calls-in an application they can become responsible for the Section 106 agreement which is used to secure specified obligations, including any which are required before development can commence.

The new National Planning Policy Framework, published on 17 August, is clear that development plans should, at the most appropriate level, set out the contributions expected from development to support the delivery of the plan. This should include the levels and types of affordable housing provision required, along with other infrastructure. Planning law requires all decision-makers to consider applications for planning permission in accordance with the development plan (which includes both the Spatial Development Strategy and local plan for the area) unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

The consultation also covers proposals to extend the power to charge a Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy (MCIL) to Mayors of strategic authorities outside of London. MCIL would provide a mechanism to raise revenue from new development to help fund strategic infrastructure required to support housing delivery and economic growth.

Mayors would also be required to consult affected Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) when using the powers. LPAs are well placed to identify likely planning contributions required to support development, including contributions towards infrastructure and local services where necessary.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 1 September 2026 (HCWS298).

Planning obligations are an important mechanism for mitigating the impacts of development, and securing infrastructure and affordable housing. As is the case in London currently, where the mayor calls-in an application they can become responsible for the Section 106 agreement which is used to secure specified obligations, including any which are required before development can commence.

The new National Planning Policy Framework, published on 17 August, is clear that development plans should, at the most appropriate level, set out the contributions expected from development to support the delivery of the plan. This should include the levels and types of affordable housing provision required, along with other infrastructure. Planning law requires all decision-makers to consider applications for planning permission in accordance with the development plan (which includes both the Spatial Development Strategy and local plan for the area) unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

The consultation also covers proposals to extend the power to charge a Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy (MCIL) to Mayors of strategic authorities outside of London. MCIL would provide a mechanism to raise revenue from new development to help fund strategic infrastructure required to support housing delivery and economic growth.

Mayors would also be required to consult affected Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) when using the powers. LPAs are well placed to identify likely planning contributions required to support development, including contributions towards infrastructure and local services where necessary.

Following implementation of the planning powers for mayors of strategic authorities provided for by English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, the majority of planning applications will continue to be dealt with by local planning authorities and the way members of the public engage with a planning application will remain unchanged.

Only potential developments of strategic importance will be affected and, if applications for such developers are called-in by a mayor, they must also take any material planning matters previously raised by the community and the local planning authority into account when determining the application.

The consultation on planning powers for mayors closed on 5 October and we are currently analysing the feedback received.

Following implementation of the planning powers for mayors of strategic authorities provided for by English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, the majority of planning applications will continue to be dealt with by local planning authorities and the way members of the public engage with a planning application will remain unchanged.

Only potential developments of strategic importance will be affected and, if applications for such developers are called-in by a mayor, they must also take any material planning matters previously raised by the community and the local planning authority into account when determining the application.

The consultation on planning powers for mayors closed on 5 October and we are currently analysing the feedback received.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 15 July 2026 (HCWS270).

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 12404 on 1 July 2026.