Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of regulation on the duty of care transfer of vulnerable tenants from housing associations to village agents.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Registered providers of social housing must ensure that the safety of tenants is considered in the design and delivery of landlord services and take reasonable steps to mitigate any identified risks to tenants.
In addition, registered providers must take action to deliver fair and equitable outcomes for tenants, including by understanding the diverse needs of tenants, including those arising from protected characteristics, language barriers, and additional support needs.
Housing associations may refer a tenant to a village agent but there is not a mechanism through which they can transfer the duty of care. In any situation where a village agent provides care or support for vulnerable tenants, a housing association remains responsible for considering the safety of tenants and their diverse needs.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of mechanical failure of Magna Air Source heat pumps in social housing on tenants.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Heat Pumps are often a highly effective low carbon alternative to a traditional gas boiler and can save families around £100 a year compared to a gas boiler through the effective use of a smart tariff. However, as with any repair, social housing providers like Magna should ensure any heat pumps installed are well maintained and fixed promptly in line with their regulatory standards when maintenance issues arise.
While Housing Associations are independent organisations and are responsible for their own performance and management, tenants can raise a formal complaint through their landlord’s complaint process and through the Housing Ombudsman if the landlord fails to take appropriate action.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the occupancy rate for houses in Watchet in Tiverton and Minehead constituency.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities have strong powers and incentives to tackle empty homes. They have the discretionary powers to charge additional council tax on properties which have been left unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for one or more years. The maximum premium that a council can apply increases, depending on the length of time that the property has been empty for, with a premium of up to 300% on homes left empty for over ten years.
Local authorities can also use powers to take over the management of long-term empty homes to bring them back into use in the private rented sector. Local authorities can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) when a property has been empty for more than two years, subject to the production of evidence that the property has been causing a nuisance to the community and evidence of community support for their proposal. More information can be found here.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to expedite the establishment of the Supported Housing Advisory Panel.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government remains committed to implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, including appointing members to a Supported Housing Advisory Panel.
The recruitment of Panel members has resumed and applications closed on 9 December. We will appoint the panel as soon as possible.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the council tax levy for second homes on the chalet industry; and whether chalets will qualify as second homes for the purpose of council tax.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
From April 2025 councils will have the power to charge a discretionary premium of up to 100% on dwellings which are unoccupied and substantially furnished. The Government recognises there may be circumstances where it may not be appropriate for a premium to apply. That is why the Government is introducing exceptions to premiums from April 2025. Further information on these exceptions is available in: guidance.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will bring forward legislation to prohibit the imposition of non-disclosure agreements on people who (a) successfully challenge (i) landlords and (ii) managing agents over (A) service charges and (B) major works bills and (b) agree an out of court settlements.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government recognises that Non-Disclosure Agreements are sometimes used for out of court settlements between leaseholders and their managing agent or landlord. It considers that in the vast majority of cases these should be unnecessary and only be used where they are acceptable to both parties. The Government expect landlords and their agents to be transparent with leaseholders on how the service charges are made up.
The level of service charge that leaseholders pay depends on many factors, including the terms of a lease and the age and condition of a building.
By law, variable service charges must be reasonable. Should leaseholders wish to contest the reasonableness of their service charges they may make an application to the appropriate tribunal. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 includes measures designed to drive up the transparency of service charges to make them more easily challengeable if leaseholders consider them to be unreasonable. We will set out details in due course about the extensive programme of secondary legislation need to bring the various provisions of the Act into force.
The Government is committed to ensuring that those living in the rented and leasehold sectors are protected from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous property agents. The Government will set out its position on the regulation of letting, managing and estate agents in due course.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will bring forward legislation to (a) standardise service charge (i) item descriptions and (ii) terminology used and (b) include references to (A) Schedule of Rates codes and (B) regulatory standards where applicable.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government recognises that Non-Disclosure Agreements are sometimes used for out of court settlements between leaseholders and their managing agent or landlord. It considers that in the vast majority of cases these should be unnecessary and only be used where they are acceptable to both parties. The Government expect landlords and their agents to be transparent with leaseholders on how the service charges are made up.
The level of service charge that leaseholders pay depends on many factors, including the terms of a lease and the age and condition of a building.
By law, variable service charges must be reasonable. Should leaseholders wish to contest the reasonableness of their service charges they may make an application to the appropriate tribunal. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 includes measures designed to drive up the transparency of service charges to make them more easily challengeable if leaseholders consider them to be unreasonable. We will set out details in due course about the extensive programme of secondary legislation need to bring the various provisions of the Act into force.
The Government is committed to ensuring that those living in the rented and leasehold sectors are protected from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous property agents. The Government will set out its position on the regulation of letting, managing and estate agents in due course.