Housebuilding targets, private rented sector reforms and property taxes will be some of the key areas of debate in the coming months.
So far each party has made certain pledges about the changes they intend to make to housing policy but official manifestos are yet to be launched.
So what do you need to know about what each political party is proposing?
Liberal Democrats
Stephen Williams, DCLG spokesperson for the Lib Dems, says for people to live fulfilled lives they need a home at a cost they can afford – and this isn’t the case for many at the moment.
To address this issue the Lib Dems plan to increase the rate of housebuilding to 300,000 a year with plans including at least 10 new garden cities.
“To maximise total house building we will work with housing providers to design new models of affordable housing, to sit alongside the traditional social rented sector, including models that offer a path to ownership for lower income working families,” says Williams.
Other proposals include incentivising social landlords to reduce the number of tenants under-occupying their homes, scrapping the bedroom tax and introducing a mansion tax.
Labour
Much of Labour’s housing policy concentrates on the private rented sector reform. Pledges include standard three-year tenancies, a cap on rent rises, a national landlord register, and a ban on letting agent fees to tenants.
Emma Reynolds, shadow housing minister, says: “I want to see a more professional sector that is growing and attracting more institutional investment but I also want to see tenants get a better deal.”
Other pledges include a 200,000 annual total housebuilding target including garden cities and garden suburbs, and to double the number of first-time buyers by 2025.
Like the Lib Dems, Labour is also keen on a form of mansion tax and also plans to double council tax for properties empty for more than a year.
Conservative
Unlike the other parties, which are unsure about the future of Help To Buy, the Tories have pledged to extend the equity loan part of the scheme until 2020. It also plans to offer a new 20% discount scheme for first-time buyers under the age of 40.
“At the same time, we’re boosting housing supply through a range of schemes, such as the first garden city and town for nearly 100 years that will create 28,000 new family homes,” says housing minister Brandon Lewis.
For tenants, the Conservatives have pledged to complete delivery of 10,000 new rented homes at below market rent.
UKIP
UKIP is the only party which has pledged to reform the leasehold sector, especially the lease extension process.
“Additionally, we would limit freeholders’ rights of forfeiture whilst empowering long-term leaseholders in blocks of twenty units or more to convert their tenure to commonhold by simple majority,” says Andrew Charalambous, UKIP’s housing spokesperson.
UKIP has also pledged to meet a 200,000 annual total housebuilding target and to build 1 million homes on brownfield sites by 2025.
For renters, it wants more landlords to rent to tenants on benefits and to offer longer (three -10 year) tenancies. Properties left empty for five or more years would pay double council tax.
Green
The Green Party’s aim is house price stability and it plans to make speculation less attractive with new council tax bands and eventually a land tax. Policies such as Help To Buy and Right To Buy would be scrapped while tenants would be given security.
“The Green Party will return housing policy to its original purpose – providing a secure, comfortable and affordable place to live, rather than a site of speculation and economic instability,” says Tom Chance, housing spokesperson.
Homeowners struggling with their mortgage would be able to sell their home to the council and rent it back under a new “right to rent” policy, while social tenants would see the bedroom tax scrapped.
