Key measures in the bill include the Starter Homes Initiative for first-time buyers and a ban on rogue landlords.
Housing minister Brandon Lewis said the bill “marks the start of a national crusade to transform generation rent into generation buy”.
A new legal duty will be placed on councils to guarantee the provision of 200,000 Starter Homes on all reasonably sized new development sites; these will be offered to first-time buyers at a 20% discount on market prices. Speaking at the Conservative party conference this month, David Cameron confirmed his support for the initiative, which will seek to turn ‘generation rent into generation buy’.
Another measure included under the bill includes Pay to Stay, which will look to ensure those social housing tenants on higher incomes have a rent that reflects their ability to pay.
Planning reforms will help support small builders and also grant automatic planning permission in principle on brownfield sites.
Chartered Institute of Housing chief executive Terrie Alafat said: “The government’s focus on getting new homes built is very welcome. In England we are currently building fewer than half the homes we need to keep up with our growing population, and the result is a housing crisis in which millions of people are struggling to access a decent home at a price they can afford.
“But we must make sure that the new homes we build are a mix of tenures (home ownership, shared ownership, private and social rent) so that people on lower incomes are able to benefit too. The government has made its commitment to home ownership very clear – but what about people who can’t afford to buy, even with government support?”
The bill also includes the provision for rogue landlords to be banned from letting property, and will establish a database of rogue landlords and letting agents. Landlords who flout banning orders will be forced to repay rent.
Matt Hutchinson, director of flat and house share site SpareRoom.co.uk, said: “A database of rogue landlords and agents could be a vital tool as long as the information it contains is accurate and accessible to those who need it most.
“But we should be wary of piling lots of extra legislation on the sector. The need to clamp down on the unscrupulous shouldn’t hinder the vast majority of landlords, who do play by the rules and provide the rental accommodation Britain desperately needs.”
The Bill will now progress to its second reading in the House of Commons.
