Legal News

Philip Hammond’s Spring Budget continues to receive mixed reviews.

Whilst the key focus of discussions centre on a tax rise for the self-employed, Britain’s housing crisis remained largely neglected.

An increasing number of vulnerable tenants experience difficulty in finding places to rent in London. Their plight is due to:

Living costs, in particular rent, continue to rise in London whilst wages lag significantly behind;

Private Owners are becoming less willing to rent to those on benefits, especially given that the government does not offer a financial guarantee on deposits and rent;

The Benefits cap, lowered to £20,000 (£23,000 in London) sees tenants fall into rent arrears.

The general consensus among struggling tenants is that the root cause of the problem is the government’s unremitting lack of social support and cuts towards the housing crisis.

The new tax reliefs available to landlords (set to come in force in April) have led many to predict that this could lead to a drop in the number of properties available to rent. Further to this, properties that are available remain either too expensive to rent, or simply not fit for purpose.

The simple economics of supply and demand dictate that the less of a good or service there is available, in this case properties to rent, compared against a high demand of that good or service, here being from vulnerable homeless tenants, usually means an increase in price. This simple equation results in vulnerable tenants being forced out of their properties and left homeless, making way for those privileged few.

John Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis has said the “uphill battle” faced by many homeless people when trying to rent in the private sector remains a “desperate situation”. With renting being the most common way out of homelessness, the housing crisis has taken another blow.

There may yet be a light at the end of the tunnel, with the Homelessness Reduction Bill today passing the final test in the Commons. Jon Sparkes noted: “For 40 years we’ve had a system that fails too many homeless people by turning them away from help when they need it most. This legislation could help put an end to that injustice once and for all”. With the main thrust of the bill being to refocus English local authorities on efforts to prevent homelessness, the bill’s passing represents a notable effort forward for the housing crisis.

Author Asif Anwar is a Trainee Solicitor. Asif mainly assists vulnerable client in their Homelessness, Disrepair, Possession and other housing law matters. He is highly committed to providing upstanding legal assistance to each of his clients. He appreciates that each client’s matter is unique and deserves the utmost diligence, care and attention.

Duncan Lewis Housing Solicitors

Duncan Lewis Housing Solicitors can guide clients in any matter or issues arising with local housing authorities, housing applications, tenants, landlords, ownership and repairs. The Duncan Lewis housing team specialises in representation in all social housing proceedings including reviews, appeals and judicial review relating to homelessness, disrepair, succession for tenants and neighbourhood disputes against local authorities .If you have any housing related queries or require representation please do not hesitate to contact our team of expert solicitors on 03337720409.