Labour manifesto pledges lettings fee ban and rent caps

A Labour government would still implement a tenant fee ban and has vowed to give tenants more consumer rights to deal with “sub standard” homes.

The party’s election manifesto, launched yesterday, promises more than 1m new homes by the end of the next Parliament as well as the building of at least 100,000 council and housing association homes a year for rent or sale.

If in power, the party will consult on introducing minimum space standards and has vowed to protect leaseholders from “rip off” ground rents.

Labour would also introduce standard three-year tenancies, restore housing benefit for 18-21 year olds and create an inflation cap on rent rises.

The manifesto states: “Home is at the heart of all of our lives. It’s the foundation on which we raise our families, the bedrock for our dreams and aspirations. But for too many people, the housing pressures they face are getting worse not better. Britain has a housing crisis – a crisis of supply and a crisis of affordability.

“After seven years of failure, the Conservatives have no plan to fix the housing crisis. Since 2010, house building has fallen to its lowest level since the 1920s, rough sleeping has risen every year, rents have risen faster than incomes, there are almost 200,000 fewer home-owners, and new affordable house building is at a 24-year low.

“It doesn’t have to be like this.”

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3 Comments

  1. jeremy1960

    Popularist clap trap! If you want to write a novel and call it a manifesto get out of London, listen to reat people and be realistic!

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  2. Woodentop

    Labour would also introduce standard three-year tenancies, restore housing benefit for 18-21 year olds and create an inflation cap on rent rises.

     

    Just imagine what condition the property would be in by 3 years when you consider the mess they leave after 6 months. The idea is not new, they have been trying to get this through parliament for years. Many a landlord would give up and the housing shortage would get even worse.

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  3. Votta583

    In my opinion this is a terrible decision

    The promise of 1 million new homes is unlikely to happen.

    Many tenants to use to rent as a lifestyle choice as opposed to owning.

    Sorting out rip off ground rent is necessary

    Three year tenancies are a silly decision bearing in mind the average tenancy period is 18 months.  In eight years of been in the industry very rarely have three year tenancy is left to their entirety.  In doing this we are taking a step back in housing and going to pre-1988 housing acts prior to assured short hold tenancies being created.

    The answer is listen to the professionals who work on the front line  and understand the industry intimately  so they can advise the pitfalls and perils of such Draconian decisions.

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