Homes for the future
30 Oct 2017
- The national government fully funding the right to buy social housing programme. In other words, if the national government maintains the right to buy for tenants, the discount between the market price and the price offered to the tenant is paid for by the national government. This sum could then be used to build more social housing.
- Ending the national government’s restriction of local government borrowing for housing. This would greatly increase the supply of social housing to meet local needs.
- Requiring local plans to take into account at least 15 years of future housing need for the indigenous population – focusing on long-term development and community needs.
- Improving renting by banning lettings fees for tenants, capping up-front deposits, and increasing minimum standards in rented homes.
- Promoting longer tenancies of three years or more with an inflation-linked annual rent increase built in, to give tenants security and limit rent hikes.
- Strengthening local government powers to enforce higher quality standards in private rented properties.
- Improving protections against rogue landlords through mandatory licensing and allow access for tenants to the database of rogue landlords and letting agents.
- Giving tenants first refusal to buy their rented home, if their landlord decides to sell during their tenancy, at the market rate.