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Her Majesty the Queen made the first Conservative majority speech since 1996 yesterday and it included plenty of items that are relevant to landlords and the private rental sector.
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Housing Bill
The Housing Bill contains a number of things that are of interest to landlords. Young people aged between 18 and 21 will no longer be able to claim housing benefit. This is part of David Cameron’s campaign to reduce the welfare bill and encourage benefits claimants back into work or training.
Crisis Charity Concerned
Crisis is deeply concerned by the news: “The Government’s plan to cut housing benefit for 18-21 year-olds could spell disaster for thousands of young people who cannot live with their parents.
“At an age when other young people are leaving home to travel, work or study, growing numbers could be facing homelessness and the terrifying prospect of roughing it on the streets.”
Elsewhere in the Housing Bill, 1.3 million housing association tenants will be given the right to buy their home. Local authorities will also be forced to sell off their most expensive properties.
Immigration Bill
As part of the Immigration Bill, the government is promising to crack down on rogue landlords by giving local councils greater powers to act against them. A new landlord licensing scheme will be rolled nationally and landlords will be given greater powers to evict illegal immigrants.
The NLA comments:
“We welcome the initiative taken by government to tackle the problem of criminals acting as private landlords to exploit illegal migrants.”
