A string of reports relating to the English Housing Survey 2014 to 2015 have been released.
The survey headline report came out in February, but there are now nine new reports updating the report and covering a number of specific areas.
These include the private rented sector; first-time buyers; and housing for older people.
The report on first-time buyers says that between 1994 and 2015, the number of first-time buyers decreased by around 300,000 per year, down to 564,00. This was despite an ovrall increase in the number of households.
Overall, 3% of all households were first-time buyers in 2014-2015.
The median income of first-time buyer households was £43,000.
The report on the private rented sector says that in 2014-2015, 19% of all English households were in this tenure, equating to 4.3m households.
Four in ten of these households were charged a fee to enter their current private rented sector accommodation, with the average being £223.
A total of 76% who were charged a fee said that they were made aware of all upfront fees, with none being hidden.
While 74% of private tenants paid a deposit when they moved in, the report says that only 62% of landlords paid the deposit into an authorised scheme.
Of those who had paid a deposit, 62% had it returned in full, 23% had it returned in part, and 10% did not have it returned. The remaining 4% did not know or could not remember.
Surely these figures cannot be correct. Only 62% of landlords paid their deposit into an authorised scheme. There has always been an understanding inside and outside the industry that this figure was nearer 100%.
If it is so low, why have we never heard about all the horror stories of landlords running off with their tenant’s deposits.
Could it really be that TDS and others are not really needed?
Is it time for less regulation or more?
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