Housing and Community Part 2

What you need to know Part 1 Part 2 (later on!) • The Housing Act: • Tenancy Deposit Protection and Assured Shorthold Tenancies Licensing Health and Safety Rating System • What the coalition means for student housing Tenancy Deposit Protection • Changes to departments Approved Codes • Living Together, Working Together • Planning Legislation Use Class Orders • Working with your local authority Planning development orders • Accommodation Costs Survey 2009/10

The coalition Emergency Budget 2010: £11bn cuts to the welfare budget. Eric Pickles Secretary of State for Communities MP for Castle Point Emergency Budget 2010: £11bn cuts to the welfare budget. CLG = 25% budget cuts ‘operational budgets’ HE = 25% cuts – end of capital spends? Shapps doesn’t attend Cabinet Housing benefit cuts of £1.8bn Benefits linked to CPI – rents generally rise faster though Grant Shapps, Minister for Housing MP for Welwyn Hatfield

1. PRS Shapps – ‘I want to create order in the sector without regulation’ 17th June – out with Rugg No written tenancy agreements No regulation of letting agents No national register of landlords No tenant feedback website Still changing TDP threshold – from 1st October

1. PRS A new era? Accreditation? Landlords can’t justify the costs of regulation for increasing rents? Letting agencies?

1/2. PRS/Community The Coalition on UCOs Shapps – ‘My concern is to ensure that we do not have a system in place … so overarching …’ Use Class Order C3 and C4 remains However, both are permitted development rights, i.e. no-one needs to apply for planning permission Unless, they introduce an Article 4 direction If they introduce it in under a year, they will have to pay compensation to landlords. HMO Lobby: Traffic light system? LDOs – ‘a means for the planning system to incentivise development in a way that meets a whole range of locally specific policy objectives’

1/2. PRS/Community NUS response: Shapps’ suggestion a better compromise Vast improvement on the current situation Does the C4 really need to start at 3 people? How will students and students’ unions be engaged in consultations? Still anti-student? ‘we will ensure that councils in areas such as Southampton maintain those powers. My only concern is to ensure that we do not have a system in place for homes in multiple occupation that is so overarching that it applies to areas where student HMOs are not a problem’.

2. Community Living together, working together: Launched on 5th July Good practice partnership working Key themes to consider Strategy Breaking Barriers Solution Regeneration Demographic changes and realistic policy making

2. Community Working with local authorities: - Localism agenda - National Citizenship Scheme / Big Society The Executive The Cabinet Sustainable Community Strategies Local Area Agreements (LAAs) National indicators – how to tie up with objectives Building relationships with articular departments

3. Accommodation Can rents continue to rise – early signs of resistance? What is it that students actually want? Value for money Choice Ensuite – CUBO research suggests that students do favour ensuite accommodation but also willing to share or opt for lower-spect accommodation to reduce costs More nomination agreements? More lower-cost alternatives? Short-term lets More diversity in provision? E.g. Family accommodation?

3. Accommodation Costs Strategic development and planning Accommodation should include a range of costs, specifications, types Students should be consulted on what they want from their housing Student support Costs of accommodation should factor in what students are receiving Transparency All costs should be clear and up front Sustainability Students need to be able to see what they are using EPCs should be available for all tenants

3. How to use the ACS Using the accommodation costs survey 1. Build a picture of what student accommodation is, how it has changed over the years, what its purpose is 2. Look at the national averages – how does your accommodation compare 3. Meet with local council, accommodation office, student advice centre – what are the plans for student accommodation, are your students’ needs being met?

Now, over to you!

Scenarios Student parents and disabled students have been coming to your advice centre concerned about the reduction in their housing benefit, and reductions in rent mean the SU cannot supplement this. Put together an action plan for what action you might take to support these students. Your local authority is ‘running’ a failing accreditation scheme – it doesn‘t update lists, run and landlord training or inspect properties. What are you going to do? Your local authority has published a paper on dealing the ‘issues’ of ‘student’ homes on local communities. It recommends an immediate ban on any houses becoming HMOs in areas where there are more than 20% in a neighbourhood, and in future removing permitted development rights to convert a C3 into a C4 dwelling. Draw up an action plan of evidence to gather, people to speak to, any potential campaigns or lobbying activity you might need to run You Director of Housing Services has announced that to increase income they will be increasing their rental structures by 8%, cancelling the right of students to terminate their contract and selling the lower-cost, older accommodation to Freedom Living Inc. What are you going to do?

More information NUS Connect – campaigns, detailed information about changes, report downloads NUS website – tenants rights and responsibilities, house hunting guides etc Shelter – housing rights and responsibilities, help line Crisis – www.privaterentedsector.org.uk Citizens Advice Bureaux / Student Advice Centres