Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to take steps to protect tenants who will be served a Section 21 notice prior to the provisions of the Renters' Rights Act coming into effect in May 2026.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Renters' Rights Act delivers the government's manifesto commitment to overhaul the regulation of the private rented sector, including by abolishing Section 21 'no fault' evictions. We want to see tenants benefit from these reforms as quickly as possible.
From 1 May 2026, the new tenancy system provided for by the Act will apply to all private tenancies – existing tenancies will become periodic, and any new tenancies will be governed by the new rules. We will work closely with tenants groups and the landlord and lettings sector to ensure a smooth implementation.
The government has no plans to introduce additional protections before 1 May 2026. Tenants at risk of eviction can seek advice from specialist providers such as Shelter and Citizens Advice.
£644.17 million in funding through the Homelessness Prevention Grant has been made available to local authorities in 2025/26 to support them to deliver services to prevent and respond to homelessness. This includes an uplift of £203.8 million compared to 2024 to 2025.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of making unique property reference numbers a requisite field in the private rented sector database.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My government already intends to record unique property reference numbers on the Private Rented Sector Database in all instances where they are available.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support (a) YMCA England & Wales and (b) other organisations to build additional move-on accommodation for people leaving supported housing.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We have invested over £1 billion in homelessness and rough sleeping services this year, which can be used flexibly to address a range of local needs, including support for young people. The Spending Review protects this record level of investment to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping for the next three years.
For young people ready to live independently, we are delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation, backed by the £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme. We are also reforming the private rented sector to give more security to tenants, bringing an end to rental bidding, outlawing discrimination against prospective tenants with children or those who receive social security benefits; and preventing landlords from demanding large amounts of rent in advance.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps are being taken to support young people living in supported housing to move on.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We have invested over £1 billion in homelessness and rough sleeping services this year, which can be used flexibly to address a range of local needs, including support for young people. The Spending Review protects this record level of investment to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping for the next three years.
For young people ready to live independently, we are delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation, backed by the £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme. We are also reforming the private rented sector to give more security to tenants, bringing an end to rental bidding, outlawing discrimination against prospective tenants with children or those who receive social security benefits; and preventing landlords from demanding large amounts of rent in advance.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will direct electricity providers to periodically conduct Electrical Installation Condition Reports.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 80904 on 10 October 2025.
Electricity providers, the electricity network operators and electricity suppliers, the companies who distribute and supply electricity to homes and businesses, have no role in electrical safety inspections and are not responsible for electrical safety in homes and businesses.
For social rented homes we have introduced regulations, that came into force this month, requiring all landlords to have the electrical installations in their properties inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years. This is in line with regulations already in place in the private rented sector. Social landlords must also have the electrical equipment that they provide under the tenancy checked by a qualified person at least every five years.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has commissioned post-implementation evaluation research on (a) the interaction of the Renters Rights Act 2025 with other regulatory changes to the private rented sector and (b) other aspects of the Renters Rights Act 2025.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department routinely monitors trends across the private rented sector, including levels of rent; the number of dwellings for private rent; and the number of private sector landlords.
To do this, we make use of data from existing surveys such as the English Housing Survey, the English Private Landlord Survey, and data from the Office for National Statistics and Hometrack. We have also commissioned Verian to carry out a longitudinal survey of private renters to help baseline and monitor the private rented sector reforms.
The government is committed to a robust evaluation of the impact of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. This evaluation will include extensive data collection through interviews, surveys and focus groups and will involve engagement with a range of stakeholders including tenants, landlords, letting agents, third sector organisations, delivery partners, and government officials.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what (a) research and (b) data his Department (i) collates and (ii) procures to monitor (A) trends in levels of private sector rent, (B) the number of dwellings for private rent and (C) the number of private sector landlords.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department routinely monitors trends across the private rented sector, including levels of rent; the number of dwellings for private rent; and the number of private sector landlords.
To do this, we make use of data from existing surveys such as the English Housing Survey, the English Private Landlord Survey, and data from the Office for National Statistics and Hometrack. We have also commissioned Verian to carry out a longitudinal survey of private renters to help baseline and monitor the private rented sector reforms.
The government is committed to a robust evaluation of the impact of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. This evaluation will include extensive data collection through interviews, surveys and focus groups and will involve engagement with a range of stakeholders including tenants, landlords, letting agents, third sector organisations, delivery partners, and government officials.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of housing conditions in the (a) private rented, (b) social housing and (c) co-operative housing sector in England.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government monitors housing conditions through the English Housing Survey and the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).
The latest English Housing Survey figures show that 21% of private rented sector properties are classed as non-decent, and 10% have a Category 1 hazard under the HHSRS.
In the social rented sector, 10% of homes are non-decent, and 4% have a Category 1 hazard. Co-operative housing is not treated as a separate sector and is included within these figures.
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 will extend Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector and introduce a Decent Homes Standard for privately rented homes for the first time. Social housing already operates under the Decent Homes Standard, and enforcement is being strengthened through the Social Housing Regulation Act, under which the first phase of Awaab’s Law has come into force.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of (a) rent arrears and (b) tenant to landlord debt in the social housing sector in England.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The number of social rented households self-reporting that they had been in arrears can be found in the English Housing Survey on gov.uk here.
The total amount due in arrears by local authority tenants, both current and previous, can be found in Section H of the Local Authority Housing Statistics (LAHS) available on gov.uk here.
Information on rent arrears owed to Private Registered Providers of social housing can be found in the quarterly surveys published by the Regulator of Social Housing on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of houses of multiple occupation being used to accommodate illegal migrants on (a) the wider private rented housing sector (b) rental prices, (c) the supply of family homes and (d) the (i) availability and (ii) affordability of housing in areas of high demand.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In accordance with the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, the Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and subsistence support while their applications for asylum are being considered. Accommodation is provided on a no-choice basis.
Asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected are generally not provided with dispersal accommodation.
The Home Office consults with local authorities across the UK before dispersal accommodation, including Houses of Multiple Occupation, is procured, ensuring the impact on communities is understood. When considering how much dispersed accommodation to procure in any given area, a range of factors are considered including the local housing availability as well as social factors such as pressures on GPs.