Oral Answers to Questions

Mike Gapes Excerpts

Monday 2nd February 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Steve Reed (Croydon North) (Lab)]

6. What progress his Department has made in promoting longer-term tenancies in the private rented sector.

[Mike Gapes (Ilford South) (Lab/Co-op)]

8. What progress his Department has made in promoting longer-term tenancies in the private rented sector.

[Karl Turner (Kingston upon Hull East) (Lab)]

19. What progress his Department has made in promoting longer-term tenancies in the private rented sector.

--- Later in debate ---

[Brandon Lewis]

Actually, we are. The new provisions in the Consumer Rights Bill will require all letting agents to publish their full tariff of fees, both on their websites and prominently in their offices, regardless of whether they are a member of a protection scheme and of which redress scheme they have signed. This will protect tenants from the small minority of agents who charge unreasonable hidden fees and will raise awareness of safe agents and the right of redress.

[Mike Gapes]

Nine million people, including 1 million families with children, are in private rented accommodation, which, as thousands in my constituency know, leads to uncertainty and fear about people’s long-term future and stability. When will this Conservative Government and their Lib Dem accomplices take the issue seriously? Will they do something now, rather than engage in spurious consultations that take months and years?

[Brandon Lewis]

I am not sure exactly what the hon. Gentleman is asking us to do. As I said, we have published a model tenancy agreement to encourage longer tenancies. It is worth noting that, according to Savills, a majority of people, particularly younger people, do not want longer tenancies and that 81% of private renters who have moved in the last three years ended their last tenancy because they wished to move, predominantly for work reasons.