Asked by: Lord Flight (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why purpose-built student accommodation provided by universities is exempt from house in multiple occupation licensing while similar accommodation provided by private companies is not.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government consulted on the effectiveness of the code in assuring acceptable management practices and standards as part of our consultation on extending mandatory licensing of HMOs. We acknowledged as part of our response, that a significant number of consultees were satisfied with the code as being a means of ensuring acceptable management practices and standards in student accommodation. However, membership of a code alone does not guarantee that the student accommodation meets local standards set by a local authority and therefore should not necessarily provide an exemption from HMO licensing.
Educational establishments have a duty of care defined by statutory obligations, for example through the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, that they must fulfil, both in the provision of education and accommodation to its students. They are also subject to regulation by an independent regulator, the Office for Students. However, private companies are not subject to the same levels of regulation and therefore should not be exempted from House in Multiple Occupation licensing.
Therefore, the Government does not have plans to remove requirements for private providers of purpose-built student accommodation who are part of an approved national code to be subject to houses in multiple occupation licensing.
Asked by: Lord Flight (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the codes for student accommodation in protecting tenants and maintaining property and management standards.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government consulted on the effectiveness of the code in assuring acceptable management practices and standards as part of our consultation on extending mandatory licensing of HMOs. We acknowledged as part of our response, that a significant number of consultees were satisfied with the code as being a means of ensuring acceptable management practices and standards in student accommodation. However, membership of a code alone does not guarantee that the student accommodation meets local standards set by a local authority and therefore should not necessarily provide an exemption from HMO licensing.
Educational establishments have a duty of care defined by statutory obligations, for example through the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, that they must fulfil, both in the provision of education and accommodation to its students. They are also subject to regulation by an independent regulator, the Office for Students. However, private companies are not subject to the same levels of regulation and therefore should not be exempted from House in Multiple Occupation licensing.
Therefore, the Government does not have plans to remove requirements for private providers of purpose-built student accommodation who are part of an approved national code to be subject to houses in multiple occupation licensing.
Asked by: Lord Flight (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to providers of purpose-built student accommodation of being required to pay for house in multiple occupation licences.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government consulted on the effectiveness of the code in assuring acceptable management practices and standards as part of our consultation on extending mandatory licensing of HMOs. We acknowledged as part of our response, that a significant number of consultees were satisfied with the code as being a means of ensuring acceptable management practices and standards in student accommodation. However, membership of a code alone does not guarantee that the student accommodation meets local standards set by a local authority and therefore should not necessarily provide an exemption from HMO licensing.
Educational establishments have a duty of care defined by statutory obligations, for example through the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, that they must fulfil, both in the provision of education and accommodation to its students. They are also subject to regulation by an independent regulator, the Office for Students. However, private companies are not subject to the same levels of regulation and therefore should not be exempted from House in Multiple Occupation licensing.
Therefore, the Government does not have plans to remove requirements for private providers of purpose-built student accommodation who are part of an approved national code to be subject to houses in multiple occupation licensing.
Asked by: Lord Flight (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the respective criteria (1) to obtain a licence for a house in multiple occupation, and (2) to join a Government-supported national code for student accommodation.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
To obtain a House in Multiple Occupation ( HMO) licence applicants must meet the statutory requirements under the Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004 and any discretionary requirements set by the relevant local authority.
The codes of practice for student accommodation are run by Universities UK/Guild HE and Accreditation Network UK/Unipol. To join one of these codes applicants must meet the requirements of the particular code which includes audits, inspections and verification processes.
Asked by: Lord Flight (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following publication of their response to the consultation Houses in multiple occupation and residential property licensing reforms in December 2017, what responsibilities they propose that landlords of houses of multiple occupation should have in respect of waste for landfill and recycling created by tenants.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
As part of the reforms to houses in multiple occupation (HMO) licensing, the Government is addressing concerns about inadequate refuse facilities in HMOs. The proposed reforms include a new mandatory condition to be included in HMO licences requiring that licence holders comply with any scheme issued by the local housing authority for the storage and disposal of household waste.
Asked by: Lord Flight (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
Her Majesty's Government what assumptions they made in forecasting expected revenue from the three percentage point stamp duty levy on the purchase of additional homes and homes available for rent.
Answered by Lord Bates
The key assumptions behind the forecast for expected revenue from the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) higher rates for additional properties are as set out in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 and Budget 2016 policy costings. The tax base was estimated by combining price and volumes data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders, Census 2011 and administrative data from SDLT and Council Tax. The tax base was projected to grow over the forecast period in line with the OBR Autumn Statement 2015 forecasts for residential SDLT, residential transactions and average house prices. The costing also accounted for a behavioural response. At Budget 2016 the size of the tax base was re-estimated by the OBR using HM Revenue and Customs administrative data from SDLT returns.Asked by: Lord Flight (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
Her Majesty's Government what was (1) the total income raised from the stamp duty levy on additional homes, and (2) the total amount refunded because a purchaser sold their main residence within three years of buying a new one, in 2016-17.
Answered by Lord Bates
The total income raised from the higher rate of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) on additional homes for 2016-17 was £1,643m. This is the revenue from the additional 3% element only and therefore excludes the revenue from the main rates of SDLT on these properties.
Statistics on repayments from the higher rate of SDLT on additional properties for 2016-17 are due to be published in July 2017.
Asked by: Lord Flight (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the stamp duty levy on investment in new homes available for rent.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Government introduced the higher rates of stamp duty on additional properties to support home ownership and first-time buyers. It is right that people should be free to purchase a second home or invest in a buy-to-let property, but the Government is aware that this can impact on other people’s ability to get on to the property ladder.
The latest estimate for this measure’s receipts for 2016-17 is £1.6 billion, compared to an initial forecast of £0.7 billion.