MPs demand 50,000 new rental properties a year

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by Gill Montia

A House of Commons report published yesterday calls for a major expansion of the UK’s rented homes sector.

The report claims that various governments have favoured owner occupiers over tenants and that the rented sector needs a new image because it is often seen as “second best”.

MPs are calling for a building programme that will increase the UK’s rental stock by 50,000 a year, with the bulk of the new accommodation suitable for families.

The authors of the report want to see social housing disseminated throughout communities, to avoid the problem of large estates which can become areas of deprivation.

They are also calling on the Government to allow local councils to build more homes on their own land and use their revenues from “right to buy” sales to fund building programmes.

The report suggests that improvement can be made in the private rented sector by encouraging long lets and taking tough action against landlords who leave properties empty for long periods and fail to keep up with maintenance.

In the case of buy-to-leave (in the hope of making substantial capital gain) MPs would like to see new tax measures to discourage the practice.