Tag Archives: liberal
Warning over implications of changes in Renters’ Rights Bill in UK
The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) is urging the Government to re-evaluate its Renters' Rights Bill, which includes measures to stop letting agents charging tenants for an inventory check. The industry body says that these costs will simply be passed to landlords who will then incorporate them into tenants' rent. Earlier this month, the Renters' Rights Bill, which also includes measures to ban agents charging tenants registration fees, admin fees, reference check fees, renewal fees and exit fees, was given an unopposed second reading in the House of Lords. The Private Members' Bill was set up by Baroness Grender and has received strong support from Labour and the Liberal Democrats and it is thought the Bill has a strong chance of success as it now runs alongside a petition against agent fees charged to tenants, which has been gaining support since March and has now received well in excess of 250,000 signatures. ‘Here at the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks, we're strongly opposed to the banning of inventory fees charged to tenants by letting agents,’ said Patricia Barber, chair of the AIIC. ‘We envisage that if banned these charges would continue to be charged to tenants through the unspecified and unclear means of a higher rent,’ she explained, adding that not being able to charge tenants a fee may encourage some letting agents to bypass inventories altogether, something which could be extremely costly for all parties involved. ‘A detailed inventory helps landlords, agents and tenants to determine exactly how the property's condition has changed over the course of the tenancy, what can be deemed fair wear and tear and what needs to be replaced and therefore deducted from the tenant's deposit,’ Barber pointed out. ‘We totally understand that some fees charged to tenants are too high and complicated, but we believe that if fair and worthwhile fees like inventory checks are made clear to the tenant then there should be no problem in them being charged,’ she said. ‘The vast majority of letting agents are transparent in the fees they charge to tenants. Banning fees altogether and particularly inventory check fees is certainly not the answer and could contribute to more deposit disputes and property damage further down the line,’ she added. She also pointed out that the Renters' Rights Bill remains some way off becoming law as it still has to pass through the House of Commons before receiving Royal Assent. Its next stage is the Committee stage in the House of Lords, a date for which is yet to be announced. The AIIC is the UK's largest membership organisation for independent clerks and recently announced that it has joined the Property Redress Scheme. Continue reading
RICS develops policy ideas report for next UK government
With property a key issue for voters ahead of this week’s UK general election, the Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has developed a series of policy blueprints for new ministers. These Property in Politics recommendations provide workable solutions for the next government to implement as priorities and include establishing an independent Housing Observatory and for the next government to issue Property Tax Forward Guidance within its first 100 days A Housing Observatory would draw on expertise from across government, the private sector and academia, taking politics out of the housing debate and ultimately delivering the housing supply the UK needs. RICS says that the observatory would be strictly independent at arm’s length from government and fulfil several functions including as a data hub on housing, accessible to policymakers, academics and the general public. It would review and interpret this data and produce briefing papers on what works, both nationally and internationally and analyse policy statements, identifying long term consequences and macro trends modelled on the tax and spending policy analysis carried out by the Institute for Fiscal Studies. It would also create or facilitate new streams of research. Property Tax Forward Guidance would promote certainty and clarity for the property sector, according to RICS and it added that the new government should publish Forward Guidance of its plans for property taxes within its first 100 days. It would seek a commitment to a comprehensive review of Council Tax, including moves towards a wholesale revaluation of properties and the introduction of higher rate bands and reduce the VAT on improvements to rental properties to 5% to stimulate investment in the private rented sector. It says that the parties should undertake a detailed assessment of the probable impact of a mansion tax proposed by Labour and the Liberal Democrats. The proposals were developed through in-depth consultations with RICS professionals, and to date over 1,000 people have been engaged on the campaign. ‘To take these ideas forward, we convened a series of working groups in early 2015, to develop clear plans for action on a number of the recommendations; principal among these were the establishment of a Housing Observatory, the issuing of Property Tax Forward Guidance within the first 100 days of the next government, and the delivery of a Resource Revolution in planning departments,’ said a spokesman. ‘Across each of these areas, we engaged with partners and stakeholders from the professions, from academia, and from government. Each panel moved beyond the headline recommendations to give concrete proposals on how each can be realised and their findings have been compiled in a series of policy blueprints for new Ministers,’ the spokesman added. Continue reading
General election garden city manifesto pledges welcomed
The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) has welcomed the manifesto pledges for a new generation of Garden Cities from the major political parties but raised questions about their commitment to delivering genuinely sustainable new homes. The TCPA has campaigned for a new generation of Garden Cities for over a century and believes they can provide a powerful and unique model of development, and are much more than just homes with gardens. ‘We need brave political leadership in order to bring forward new Garden Cities, and the TCPA is keen to work with the new government to ensure that the socially just, high quality Garden Cities that the nation deserves become a reality,’ said Kate Henderson, TCPA chief executive. She pointed out that while the manifestos all pledge support for Garden Cities, none of them set out how these Garden Cities will be delivered, or how a new government will ensure that the new communities adhere to the Garden City principles. The Labour manifesto states that the party wants to boost housing if it is in power after the May general election and pledged to build a new generation of garden cities but Henderson says it fails to include any commitment to ensuring if and how new Garden Cities will meet the Garden City principles. ‘The Lyons Review sets out a clear mandate for the delivery of Garden Cities, and referenced the need to make their delivery mechanism fit for purpose with the recommendation to update the New Towns Act,’ she explained. ‘The Review also recognised the need to consider the quality of new homes, particularly in regards to of the need for space standards, high quality design and zero carbon standards. To deliver genuine Garden Cities we should act on these recommendations,’ she added. The Conservative manifesto states the party will support locally led garden cities and towns in places where communities want them, such as Ebbsfleet and Bicester but Henderson says that another of its proposals to extend the Right to Buy scheme risks undermining the achievements of genuine mixed communities. The Liberal Democrat manifesto is the most detailed and sets out plans for at least 10 new Garden Cities in England, in areas where there is local support, providing tens of thousands of high quality new homes, with gardens and shared green space, jobs, schools and public transport. It has also pledged to encourage rural Local Authorities to follow these principles on a smaller scale, too, developing new garden villages or suburbs as part of their plans for growth along with the creation of up to five major new settlements along a Garden Cities Railway between Oxford and Cambridge. Henderson said the TCPA would have liked to have seen references as to how these Garden Cities or development will be brought forward. Continue reading
