Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the total cost to the public purse of out of court settlements for employment tribunal cases across local government in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2024 to Question 2960 on Insulation: Housing, what steps she is taking to ensure homeowners who retrofit their homes with recommended measures are not penalised by mortgage lenders.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are aware of the issues some homeowners are facing in obtaining finance where spray foam insulation has been installed. Officials in the department have previously consulted UK Finance and the Building Societies Association, the trade bodies for lenders about this matter, who advise that their members rely on the views of valuers and surveyors on this issue.
Whilst the department cannot comment on the decisions made by individual lenders, the presence of spray foam should not automatically prevent lending, and decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis following a survey.
That is why it is important that surveyors continue to follow published protocols published in March 2023 to support these assessments, which can be found here: https://www.property-care.org/resources/spray-foam-insulation-inspections(opens in a new tab)(opens in a new tab) and Guides & Documents - IMA (insulationmanufacturers.org.uk)(opens in a new tab).
The Government do not specify or recommend which types of insulation are appropriate for a particular property, and all measures installed under government schemes must be installed by TrustMark registered installers.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2024 to Question 2960 on Insulation: Housing, what discussions her Department has had with mortgage lenders on (a) the installation of spray foam insulation and (b) its impact on lending.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are aware of the issues some homeowners are facing in obtaining finance where spray foam insulation has been installed. Officials in the department have previously consulted UK Finance and the Building Societies Association, the trade bodies for lenders about this matter, who advise that their members rely on the views of valuers and surveyors on this issue.
Whilst the department cannot comment on the decisions made by individual lenders, the presence of spray foam should not automatically prevent lending, and decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis following a survey.
That is why it is important that surveyors continue to follow published protocols published in March 2023 to support these assessments, which can be found here: https://www.property-care.org/resources/spray-foam-insulation-inspections(opens in a new tab)(opens in a new tab) and Guides & Documents - IMA (insulationmanufacturers.org.uk)(opens in a new tab).
The Government do not specify or recommend which types of insulation are appropriate for a particular property, and all measures installed under government schemes must be installed by TrustMark registered installers.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to prevent bidding wars in the private rented sector; and when she plans to bring forward the Renters’ Rights Bill.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is committed to bring forward a Renters’ Rights Bill as a priority. The Bill will decisively level the playing field between landlord and tenant by providing renters with greater security, rights and protections and we will crack down on the minority of unscrupulous landlords who exploit, mistreat or discriminate against tenants.
The Bill will introduce new laws that will prohibit the practice of rental bidding, which unfairly pit tenants against one another.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to prevent private rented landlords from seeking rents above the advertised price.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is committed to bring forward a Renters’ Rights Bill as a priority. The Bill will decisively level the playing field between landlord and tenant by providing renters with greater security, rights and protections and we will crack down on the minority of unscrupulous landlords who exploit, mistreat or discriminate against tenants.
The Bill will introduce new laws that will prohibit the practice of rental bidding, which unfairly pit tenants against one another.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to (a) ensure that the installation of spray foam insulation is regulated and (b) support homeowners unable to sell their homes due to the installation of that insulation.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are aware of the issues some homeowners are facing in obtaining finance where spray foam insulation has been installed. In response, the insulation, lending, and surveying communities published protocols in March 2023 to support surveyors to assess spray foam and provide reassurance to lenders. This can be found here: https://www.property-care.org/resources/spray-foam-insulation-inspections(opens in a new tab) and Guides & Documents - IMA (insulationmanufacturers.org.uk).
Whilst the department cannot comment on the decisions made by individual lenders, the presence of spray foam should not automatically prevent lending, and decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis following a survey.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of homeowners unable to sell their home due to the installation of spray foam insulation.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are aware of the issues some homeowners are facing in obtaining finance where spray foam insulation has been installed. In response, the insulation, lending, and surveying communities published protocols in March 2023 to support surveyors to assess spray foam and provide reassurance to lenders. This can be found here: https://www.property-care.org/resources/spray-foam-insulation-inspections(opens in a new tab) and Guides & Documents - IMA (insulationmanufacturers.org.uk).
Whilst the department cannot comment on the decisions made by individual lenders, the presence of spray foam should not automatically prevent lending, and decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis following a survey.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to help reduce indirect discrimination against prospective housing tenants in receipt of benefits.
Answered by Jacob Young
Discrimination against prospective tenants in receipt of benefits has no place in a fair and modern housing market. The Government has introduced measures to the Renters (Reform) Bill at Commons Committee which outlaw the use of blanket bans. Landlords and agents will be prevented from discriminating directly or indirectly during the letting process.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the financial resilience of local authorities and the potential impact on children’s services.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The department has engaged regularly with Birmingham City Council, including in recent months over the pressures it faces around its failed implementation of the Oracle IT system and its unresolved equal pay liability. We have expressed serious concern over the Council's governance arrangements, and, in April, I requested that the Council commission an independent governance review, which will report on its findings in the coming weeks. I have placed a copy of my correspondence from August with the Leader of the Council in the Library of the House of Commons.
Councils are responsible for their own financial management. The department stands ready to speak to any council that has concerns about its ability to manage its finances. The decision to issue a Section 114 report is a local one, taken by the statutory chief finance officer.
In line with the practice of successive administration, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2023 to Question 192669 on Private Rented Housing: Guarantees, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Renters Reform Bill on family members, acting as a guarantor, who are being pursued for rent payments in the event of the death of a tenant.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Renters (Reform) Bill will generally abolish fixed-term tenancies so that a rental agreement can be ended with 2 months' notice at any point, meaning parties will not be obliged to pay rent for lengthy fixed terms.