Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to restricting or banning estate agents from collecting rent commission one year in advance, in line with the proposed restriction on landlords requesting upfront rent payments as set out in the Renters' Rights Bill.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
There are already protections in place to ensure that both tenants and landlords are treated fairly by letting agents. This includes the Tenant Fees Act 2019 which bans most letting fees and caps tenancy deposits paid by tenants in the private rented sector.
In addition, the Renters’ Rights Bill will prohibit landlords from requiring more than one month's rent in advance from tenants looking to secure a tenancy. This unfair practice can encourage prospective tenants to stretch their finances to the limit or prevent them from accessing the private rented sector altogether.
This measure does not apply to the fee structures agreed between landlords and property agents.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many affordable homes were built in 2024; how many are planned for (1) 2025, and (2) 2026; and how many for the duration of the current Parliament.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The number of new affordable housing delivered in England by new build/acquisitions is published here Live tables on affordable housing supply - GOV.UK
We are committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. The government will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review, which will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for Social Rent.
In addition, the provision of affordable homes will be supported by our ‘Golden Rules’ for Green Belt development which mean that housing can only be built on Green Belt land if developers deliver high levels of affordable housing. We will also strengthen planning obligations to ensure that new developments provide more affordable homes.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to remove restrictions on short-term lets for residential flats following the provision in the Renters' Rights Bill to introduce periodic tenancies.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We have no plans to remove restrictions on short-term lets for residential flats. The Renters’ Rights Bill includes a provision to ensure landlords will not be able to evict tenants simply to turn the property into a holiday let. We are considering what additional powers we might give local authorities to enable them to respond to the pressures created by short-term lets.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 16 January (HL3851), what plans they have, if any, to phase out the sale of new petrol motorcycles, in line with plans to phase-out the sale of new petrol cars from 2030.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
All modes and vehicle types have a part to play in meeting net zero, including motorcycles. The Government will set out any plans to decarbonise motorcycles in due course. To encourage uptake of zero emission motorbikes, the Government has a plug-in motorcycle grant which is available until at least March 2025 and offers up to £500 off the cost of a zero-emission motorcycle.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 8 January (HL3567), whether they have any target for providing social homes over the lifetime of the current Parliament.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. Our aspiration is to ensure that, from the first full financial year of this Parliament (2025-26) onwards, the number of Social Rent homes grows consistently. We will update Parliament on our progress.
We have therefore asked Homes England and the Greater London Authority to maximise the number of Social Rent homes in allocating the remaining funding from the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme.
My department published an update on targets in the 2021-26 Programme on 30 July 2024. We have also made a number of changes to national planning policy that are designed to support the delivery of Social Rent homes. We will bring forward details of future Government investment in social and affordable housing at the Spending Review.