Joint webchat with Conservative and Labour housing minister and shadow housing minister, MONDAY 2 MARCH 1pm

[RowanMumsnet]

We're pleased to announce something a bit different to shake up your Monday lunchtime: a joint simultaneous webchat with the Conservative Housing and Planning Minister Brandon Lewis, and the Labour Shadow Housing Minister Emma Reynolds. They’ll be joining us live for an hour on Monday March 2 at 1pm.

We know that lots of MNers are interested in housing issues, so here's your opportunity to quiz Brandon and Emma about house-building, the Green Belt, planning restrictions, new towns, private landlords, rent levels, sustainable building, social and affordable housing, and their long-term plans for making supply meet demand - and anything else that catches your eye. How do the Conservatives and the Labour party plan to build and fund housing for the next generation - and what do they want to do about short-term housing issues? Now's your chance to find out.

Brandon Lewis MP is Minister of State for Housing and Planning. He was elected as the Conservative MP for Great Yarmouth in May 2010.

Emma Reynolds MP was elected as the Labour MP for Wolverhampton North East in May 2010. She is the Shadow Housing Minister attending Shadow Cabinet.

Please join us on Monday at 1pm. As ever, if you can’t make it then, please do leave your questions on this thread in advance. And (also as ever) please remember our webchat guidelines.

Thanks
MNHQ

[TheHoneyBadger]

wonderful questions and i'm so pleased and relieved at what progress they show in people's minds about long term issues and needs rather than just the usual i want to buy a house make it cheaper.

most of what i wanted to ask about addressing rental rights has been asked.

i would like to know both guests opinions on buy to let mortgages and private landlords charging huge rents both from renters themselves and from the public funds via housing benefit.

how can this really be good for britain and business etc (other than banks selling more mortgages) if it is costing us such a fortune and creating even more inflated artificial prices both in house sale prices and rents?

please somehow can we get back to 'property' being primarily seen as housing and homes rather investments?

[bedunkalilt]

I've just realised I didn't actually ask a question, more like make statements So here it is:

What do both parties have as proposals, if any, to challenge the issue of properties being advertised as 'no DSS', thereby decreasing the available homes to Housing Benefit recipients, and also to improve the incredibly inefficient Housing Benefit assessment/reassessment system?

As an aside, perhaps some landlords/agents would stop worrying about benefits recipients if the system administrating it was better.

Also just dug up the David Lammy article and realised that it is from 2008 - so the 'no DSS' issue isn't exactly a new one and has just been allowed to continue.

[stubbornstains]

I understand that last year Labour proposed an amendment to the Consumer Rights Bill, banning letting agents from charging tenants, but it was voted down by the Government. Can I ask you how you voted, Brandon?

Also, I understand that Andrew George (Lib Dem) introduced a private member's bill attempting to abolish the bedroom tax- again, Brandon and Emma, how did you vote on that one?

[foslady]

Thank you for agreeing to do this web chat. I too will be working during it, but could I also add these comments/queries?

I am a lone parent (husband walked out on me) living 'Up North' in a mortgaged house due to housing being more affordable and hence being able to buy the ex out. A few years ago I was made redundant. My main stress was caused due to there being no help for me whatsoever to keep me in my home. If I was renting I would have been eligible for HB, but as a mortgagee there was nothing. If I was renting, the rent would have been more than my mortgage, and in effect you would have been happy to have paid the mortgage on someone else's investment, but was not prepared to pay a penny towards helping to keep me in my home. This was not always the case and I know why it changed. But no one seems to realise the seriousness of this on real peoples lives.

I also work for a RSL. With private rental prices being covered in full by HB it can be very difficult to let properties at times made much harder by the under occupancy levy that only applies to RSL's. It appears that housing policy is only determined by southern housing issues, and the issues we are having are being completely ignored. It's making other issues for northern based RSL's. When are you going to realise that housing issues in the North are not the same as those in the south and need different solutions?

[FionaKennedyReid]

My daughter is 8 months' pregnant and has just received an eviction notice. She and her husband are good tenants and they have never missed a rental payment: they are being evicted solely because the landlord wants to put the house on the market.

Receiving an eviction notice at this point is extremely distressing for obvious reasons. Furthermore, my daughter and her husband already have a toddler and they live in an area which enables them both to travel to their respective workplaces with relative ease. Being evicted with a new baby will cause high levels of anxiety, will disrupt the toddler's child-care arrangements and may mean that they need to move to an area which will make it impossible for them both to work.

No civilized society should allow a family to be treated like this. What will prospective housing ministers do to ensure security of tenure for tenants?

Moral platitudes about 'hard-working families' are irrelevant. Please outline definite policy commitments.

Dr Fiona Reid

[meddie]

The private rental sector needs some regulation. people need some security of tenancy.

Every move costs money, agency fees, exit fees, moving costs, often having to pay a deposit on new place while also paying for the current place as flats go quick and you cant risk being homeless.

My Daughter has been moved 3 times in 2 years due to BTL landlords wanting to sell, she always pays her rent and maintains the properties.
over £3k in costs down the drain that could have gone towards a deposit.

Seen as all the parties are basically tory, dressed up in a different coloured rosette, the one that deals with housing will be getting my vote.

[gotthearse]

It's not an acceptable use of tax-payers money to make rich BTL landlords richer with HB subsidising extortionate rents. We are in this position because successive governments have had, to be frank, a complete dogs-breakfast of a housing policy. We need more houses, lots more to be built. What are you going to do better or differently to ensure this actually happens?

[gotthearse]

bedunkalilt HB is being abolished and Universal Credit will replace it. I had to lie and say I was my sisters employer to get her and her son a place. Never been a day late with rent in 5 years. In theory landlords won't know who's on Universal Credit as all paid to the claimant. Will be interesting to see if it helps. Could it be made illegal to ask/discriminate against claimants just for being claimants? Will either guest commit to that?

[bedunkalilt]

gotthearse HB currently is usually paid the claimant, I think it is only in exceptional circumstances that the LAs pay direct to LLs, so in theory LLs don't have to know, but in doing the reference checks it will become apparent if the person doesn't have the income to afford the rent. What I usually see these days is income has to be stated with copies of bank statements, payslips, credit check done, etc, so it would be hard to avoid the matter of how they are planning on paying the rent if it doesn't fit in to the standard equation (I think it's something like annual income should be 3x the annual rent). Also given the restrictions on mortgages and insurance for LLs, it is questionable whether it would be right for a claimant to withhold that information (even though I think those restrictions are ridiculous).

[bedunkalilt]

Although it would be great if UC is better! I just seriously doubt it

[andango]

Also, when are we going to get a landlord register to prevent landlords who repeatedly flout the rules and break the law from letting out property in future? My ex-landlady refused to do gas safety checks and got her unqualified mate in to mess with the gas supply when I could smell gas, and only got someone qualified in when I pointed out she was breaking the law as well as risking my life. People like this are not suitable to be landlords - we have laws that people who are found unfit to be dog owners are banned from having future dogs. But bad landlords can continue to rent out properties in England with no restrictions.

Why is the safety of tenants regarded as less important than the safety of dogs?

[noideawhattoget]

how do you propose to improve the conditions for council tenants?

for example, bedroom tax was brought in mainly to free up larger homes for the families which needed them, by encouraging older people living alone in large houses, to move to smaller properties. then the over 60's were made exempt from bedroom tax. the original idea was that they would get help and incentives to move. this has not happened. this is leading to larger families having to wait long periods of time to get offered suitable accommodation, in properties which are too small, run down, expensive etc.

also, larger properties are not being built in the quantities needed, the same with 1 bedroom properties.

also, the conditions in which many council tenants are living is a disgrace. properties which are cold, draughty, leaking etc. my own property was built in 1991, and still has the original heating system and windows and doors which were put in at that time. single glazed doors, and an immersion heater system. this has cost me a fortune in gas and electric (£300 electric for last quarter, compared to £120 the previous one). these properties should be updated before being let to families, especially when there are young and disabled children.

[HelenaDove]

YY andango. Its done on the cheap. And there have been cases where a dodgy engineer has screwed up a gas safety check and then when the tenant has pointed this out the landlord has continued to use the same plumbing and heating company.

When it comes to sub contracting this work out why do landlords insist on using just the one company to maintain heating and hot water supplies. The one company cant handle all the work and then over the winter if something goes wrong with the boiler the tenant is left waiting WEEKS for it to be fixed WEEKS with no heating or hot water all because the landlord wants to put all his eggs in one basket.

And if gas safety checks are REALLY about safety why arent owner occupiers COMPELLED to have them done. Do they have some special sort of gas pumped into their homes which doesnt contain carbon monoxide or cant blow up their next door neighbour. And there is a case in a thread on here where another MNer said she knew of a case where someone died from carbon monoxide coming from NEXT DOOR! So why arent owner occupiers being compelled to have then done.

It can also be used to harass tenants. One tenant had EIGHT no shows in a row from the same inept company but HAD to stay in each time because of the threats from the company to break in and the malicious letters accusing tenants of denying access.

So its no wonder when you compare his situation to the fact that owner occupiers are not compelled to have them done that many are starting to think its just another way to harass the poor AND make money from social housing tenants.

[noideawhattoget]

i agree HelenaDove- our boiler went early december. it took them 10 days to fix it, and for the first night they didnt even provide heaters. our house went down to 13 degrees overnight and that was with 2 disabled children in the house. councils just dont have the resources to bring the houses up to scratch. more needs to be done by the government to ensure that this is not the case, instead of cutting budgets left right and centre, money needs to be put in to making sure that social housing (and private rented homes) are fit for purpose.

[iseenodust]

There are swathes of unused land / derelict buildings in our nearest city and yet housing developments on school playing fields & greenfield are being given planning permission. It makes no sense as the derelict areas become no-go and then creep further. It becomes a vicious circle. I would be in favour of more compulsory purchase eg after say 5 years of dereliction. Nip it in the bud / incentivise landowners to respect the community !

What will your party do to prioritise the use of brownfield sites for housing over undeveloped land ?

[DiamondsandRainbows]

Another renting question:

How would you feel if we became a country of renters? A country where people did not necessarily aspire to buy, but were happy to rent long term? Do you feel that this would this be bad for the economy?

I ask because there seems to be as assumption that people have a desperate desire to buy a property. Even with a home ownership scheme and working hard, buying is out of our reach, I would like to get on with my life, get my children settled in school, keep them stable, make friends.

Do you think that the same effort that was put into Affordable home ownership schemes, will, or could be put into overhauling the rental sector?

Surely if there were incentives for landlords to adhere to certain criteria then renting could become clearer, fairer and tenancy agreements could be for longer, giving more families stability. I have a feeling that this does not happen because it does not fit with the economic model that the government have for the country...

[Narrowboat48]

I live on a narrowboat there are 5400 families who do this with out a home mooring. We are governed by the 1995 waterways act we are allowed to stay in one place for 14 days then move to a new place. The law allows us to move around an area this gives us access to schools doctors etc. The law does not require us to move a minimum distance.
In 2012 the govt handed the waterways to a new charity the canal and river trust and they receive millions from the treasury to administer the canals.
They have declared war on us and are trying to make us homeless by taking out homes. They are demanding we move out of areas even into different counties we are therefore running the risk of not having medical care or schooling.
We ask how far do u want us to move but they refuse to say but if we don't guess correctly our homes are at risk. They are exceeding the law! They have given themselves the right to board our homes without consent to share information about us with any one they feel has an interest . People are scared what will you do to help us ? Why should we be made homeless why should our children suffer when we are obeying the law ?

[AlphaBravoHenryFoxtons]

Narrowboat - you sound as though you want all the benefits of permanent residence in a particular area but none of the responsibility.

[RowanMumsnet]

Morning everyone

Just flagging that David Cameron is making a speech today at which he will announce that 'more than 200,000 "decent, well-built homes with gardens" sold at a 20 per cent discount will be made available to first-time buyers' if the Conservatives win the next election. You can see more details of the plan here.

Thanks
MNHQ

[WhistlingPot]

Some great questions here.

How many MPs and Lords are private landlords and do those with personal interests in the private rental sector have to declare them when voting on housing strategy issues?

[stubbornstains]

I don't want to derail the thread, but alpha, where has narrowboat said she doesn't want to take any responsibility for living in an area? I fear you're projecting here. People who live on boats, in caravans or in other forms of temporary dwelling are taking some of the pressure off demand for conventional homes, and should be applauded....instead, they're being persecuted. .

[WhistlingPot]

Oh darn it, just read MNHQ's link, so another cheeky question if allowed - why is there a cut off in age for first time buyers in that proposal? There are many older than 40 who have been out of the running for buying their first homes over the last decade or so, why should they not also benefit from any scheme to support first time buyers?

[bedunkalilt]

From the PM: "everyone who works hard can have a home of their own”.

If you can't get a mortgage even with 20% discount - which we couldn't - then does that mean you're not working hard? Does this also mean that me and my family don't deserve a home of our own, because we can't afford to buy one?

Also: "'There is a particular kind of security that comes with having a home,' Mr Cameron will say. 'Too many people have been denied that security'".

Yes. Regulations for rentals, please.

I entered this webchat with a relatively open mind but I fear I have been swung before it has even started...!

[WhistlingPot]

If you can't get a mortgage even with 20% discount - which we couldn't - then does that mean you're not working hard? Does this also mean that me and my family don't deserve a home of our own, because we can't afford to buy one?

Clearly not bed. And if you've also reached 40 by this point then you have clearly been a waster in Dave's eyes and never worked hard. Ever.

[HeeHiles]

We need Council Homes - Its so blindingly obvious to everyone else except politicians. Stop RTB, build council homes, take families out of private renting, why should tax payers pay a BTL LL's mortgage? You can see how absurd that is surely?

Earls Court, Social Housing removed, luxury flats in, Olympic Village, promised social housing, didn't get it! Old Oak Common, opportunity to build thousands of council homes, will it be done? Paddington Basin, luxury flats, Portobello Green, luxury flats, fire stations, police stations sold, luxury flats or 'Affordable' don't make me laugh

Question - Why are no politicians, except the Greens, talking about building Council Homes and abolishing RTB?