As many as 2.4 million private renters could miss out on voting in the General Election, according to an analysis by Generation Rent.
Registration to vote closes at midnight tonight and Generation Rent is urging private renters to get involved. They have highlighted 96 seats in England where newly registered private renters could cast the deciding vote.
Because private renters move house more frequently than homeowners, just 58% are correctly registered. This is compared with 91% of homeowners, according to figures by the Electoral Commission.
Using census, English Housing Survey and Labour Force Survey data, Generation Rent estimates that there are at least 5.7m eligible voters living in private rented homes. There are around 3.3m registered voters and 2.4m yet to register at their current address.
Applying the calculations to Westminster constituencies, Generation Rent found 96 seats across England where the estimated number of unregistered private renters is larger than the 2017 majority. This only stresses the possibility that renters registering today and tomorrow could cast the deciding vote.
The following calculations show just how many private renters in certain constituencies are at risk of losing their vote:
Constituency
Region
Majority
unregistered private renter voters
Kensington
London
20
8819
Southampton, Itchen
South East
31
6367
Richmond Park
London
45
5117
Crewe and Nantwich
North West
48
4818
Newcastle-Under-Lyme
West Midlands
30
2478
Caitlin Wilkinson, Policy & Public Affairs Manager at Generation Rent, said: “The private rented sector is in desperate need of reform, but renters are statistically less likely to be registered to vote than homeowners. Many renters are on 12 month contracts, meaning they are much more likely to move house in a given year.
“In key marginals across the country, renters registering could decide the outcome of the seat. Renters need secure tenancies, affordable rents, and decent and safe homes.
“This election is an opportunity for renters to vote for a Government that will deliver that. If you rent privately, make sure you’re registered by midnight on Tuesday.”
Nick Ballard, National Organiser at ACORN said: “If you’re homeless, in insecure housing or in the PRS, you’re less likely to be on the electoral register. If you don’t vote, you don’t matter to most politicians.
“Though our Renters Vote campaign ACORN is registering private tenants, the vulnerably housed and homeless and turning them out on election day.
“Politicians cannot afford to ignore the demands of renters and the next government must ensure decent, dignified and affordable housing for all.”
With the General Election approaching fast, the UK’s political parties are now releasing their manifestos.
The Conservatives have now pledged to follow through with plans to abolish ‘no fault’ evictions, and it is rumoured that we should expect their full manifesto this Sunday.
The party has also made the commitment to introduce Lifetime Rental Deposits to help renters reduce the costs when moving between properties.
David Smith, Policy Director for the Residential Landlords Association (RLA), commented: “We have long argued that deposits should be transferable. It will make renting cheaper and easier for tenants. It is vital though that the detail of the plans ensure that both landlords and tenants can have complete confidence in how the lifetime deposit will work.
“On the pledge by the Conservatives to end so called ‘no fault’ repossessions, we agree that the system needs to be reformed, but this needs to be done properly.
“Whilst any new system should protect tenants from the minority of landlords who abuse the current rights, it is important that good landlords can be confident that in circumstances such as tenant rent arrears or anti-social behaviour they can swiftly and easily regain possession of their property.
“We want to see comprehensive reform that works for both landlords and tenants. This should include setting up a dedicated housing court offering easy and inexpensive access to justice for both tenants and landlords.”
In response to the suggestion of lifetime rental deposits that can be transferred between homes, Dan Wilson Craw, Director of Generation Rent, says: “For many people renting from private landlords, your damage deposit is the closest thing you have to savings.
“We have been calling for tenants to be able to transfer this money between tenancies, which would make it much easier to move, and give tenants more control over their homes and lives.
“In addition, the £4.4bn of tenants’ cash currently protected could be used more productively than it is under the current system, with investment returns benefiting tenants. It is welcome to see support for our proposal and we want all parties to commit to reforming tenancy deposits in the next Parliament.”
General Election Manifestos: Landlords welcome plan for lifetime deposits for tenants
Dan Wilson Craw also commented on the plan for lifetime fixed-rate mortgages requiring deposits of 5%: “Parties that want to boost homeownership will find there is no easy answer. Longer-term fixed-rate mortgages are unlikely to increase access to homeownership dramatically, especially if rates are higher than those on shorter-term deals. Making it easier to get a mortgage with a small deposit risk pushing up house prices further.
“Boris Johnson recognises that renters struggle to save, but when around two-thirds have no savings at all, our priority should not be to help the minority escape renting but to bring down rents for everyone. That means investing in social housing.”
Generation Rent Campaigns Manager Georgie Laming has commented on the pledge to end Section 21 evictions: “For too long, renters have been scared to ask for essential repairs for fear of a revenge eviction. Today’s announcement that the Conservatives will honour their pledge to end unfair Section 21 evictions is a testament to the hard-fought campaign of thousands of renters across England.
“Both major parties have now committed to an end to section 21 so renters can look forward, whoever is elected, to more security of tenure – and calling their house a home.”
The Liberal Democrats released their manifesto on 20th November. As the National Landlords Association (NLA) has put it, this manifesto seems to include little positive for private landlords.
Caitlin Wilkinson, Policy Manager for Generation Rent, has commented on the Lib Dem pledge for three-year tenancies, mandatory landlord licensing, and tenancy deposit loans for young first-time renters: “Support for landlord licensing is welcome as this would help councils ensure that landlords meet basic standards and tenants enjoy decent homes.
“The introduction of three-year tenancies would help renters stay in their homes for longer, but would not protect them from unfair evictions outside fixed terms under Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988. Given that the party committed to ending Section 21 at its conference in September, its omission from the manifesto is surprising.
“The Help to Rent scheme will help some renters, but as this loan is only offered to first-time renters, its impact will be limited. More renters would benefit from a deposit passport scheme which allowed them to move deposits between landlords when moving home, avoiding upfront costs.”
Yesterday (21st November) Labour released its manifesto for the 2019 General Election.
David Smith, Policy Director for the Residential Landlords Association (RLA), has responded to the publication of Labour’s General Election manifesto. Smith comments: “Labour’s plans would hurt tenants. It wants longer tenancies, yet is proposing nothing to encourage and support good landlords to stay in the market long-term.
“Whilst enabling tenants to remain in their property is a good thing, it needs to be matched by a system that gives confidence that landlords can swiftly regain possession of their properties in legitimate circumstances such as tenant rent arrears or anti-social behaviour. Nothing in Labour’s plans provide that assurance.
“Its plans for rent controls linked to inflation are also nonsense. The Office for National Statistics has shown that rents are increasing by less than inflation.
“The Party has failed to heed the warning of the Labour Chair of Parliament’s Housing Committee who has previously warned that rising rents will only be addressed when more homes are built.
“The party’s former Housing Minister in Wales has also warned that rent controls serve only to reduce the quality of accommodation, choke off supply, and make it more difficult for tenants to find the homes to rent they need.
“We need to focus on providing more homes of every kind, including for private rent. Labour’s plans will fail to achieve this.”
General Election Manifestos: Labour would leave landlords worse off
Joseph Daniels, founder of modular developer Project Etopia, has also commented on Labour’s manifesto: “By going after landbanking developers and focusing on the crucial element of land supply, Labour has really shown they are determined to look properly at the real causes behind periodic declines in housebuilding.
“This is what the industry needs, far more than housebuilding pledges that lack any real roadmap for how they will be delivered, which is what we’ve seen from parties in the past.
“Talk is often cheap and the industry is crying out for meaningful change to allow developers to unlock land and bring it forward for development. If this is achieved the country could see a real turning point in public policy to help solve the housing crisis.
“These pledges have to be balanced with the commitment to cut carbon emissions and the Liberal Democrats’ proposal that all homes should meet the Passivhaus standard shows the major parties are becoming more creative when it comes to housing policy.
“A requirement to build to the Passivhaus standard would set a world-leading benchmark for housebuilding in Britain and send a strong message to developers about how quickly they need to make their construction process more carbon neutral.”
Milton Rodosthenous, Director of online auction service LetsBid Property, comments: “The housing sections of the election manifestos from the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats lack focus on reforming the homebuying and selling process which is crucial to helping people to move home, get on the property ladder or downsize.
“In recent months there have been some good ideas from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, including introducing reservation agreements and regulating property agents. It would be disappointing to see these initiatives fall by the wayside after the general election.
“The manifestos’ focus on providing affordable homes is welcome, however, the emphasis on housebuilding targets is perhaps misguided as these targets have been missed by numerous administrations over many years.
“The supply of homes is of course an issue which needs addressing, but it is not the only factor which could stimulate the housing market and make homeownership more seamless and attainable.
“For example, neither manifesto mentions stamp duty and how it could be reformed to create a less stagnant and fairer market.
“In the short-term, the government must focus on resolving Brexit so confidence in the housing market and economy can be rebuilt.
“In the long-term, there will need to be a concerted effort to address housing supply issues, make the moving process more efficient and to embrace technology and alternative buying and selling options such as the Modern Method of Auction.
“We now await the Conservative Party’s election manifesto with anticipation to see how Boris Johnson’s party is pledging to improve the housing market.”
In response to Labour plans to produce 100,000 new council homes a year, Generation Rent Policy Manager Caitlin Wilkinson comments: “Labour’s commitment to building 100,000 council homes a year would help address years of chronic under-supply. We need large-scale public investment in building high-quality council or social homes to ensure that everyone has access to a secure and affordable home.
“The growth of the private rented sector is a direct consequence of the failure of successive governments to build social housing. 11 million people in England rent privately, often paying high rents in return for poor conditions and with no security.
“Building genuinely affordable council and social housing would ensure that high-quality housing is available for those on lower incomes, as well as meeting overall demand, which would reduce rents for those in the private sector.”
Caitlin Wilkinson has also commented on Labour plans for open-ended tenancies, rent caps and new minimum standards: “Abolishing Section 21 and introducing open-ended tenancies will cut homelessness and give renters the security they need to plan for their future.
“Both main parties have now committed to ending unfair evictions under Section 21, meaning renters will be able to look forward to a secure home in the next Parliament.
“Capping rents will go some way towards ensuring that renting is genuinely affordable for those on low incomes, but over the long term we need measures to sustainably bring rents down to around 30% of median local incomes.
“For too long, renters have suffered substandard and dangerous conditions, and the party’s proposed national licensing scheme will help councils take action against criminal landlords who fail to meet basic standards and let out unsafe homes.”
A national renter manifesto has been created by renters and housing justice campaigners from across England, to be launched in time for the General Election.
The manifesto has been written by Generation Rent, London Renters Union, ACORN, New Economics Foundation, Renters’ Rights London and Tenants Union UK. It calls for radical reform of the private renting sector (PRS) and a transformation of the housing system. This includes the abolition of Section 21 evictions, the introduction of rent controls and an end to discrimination of tenants on housing benefits.
England’s PRS is home to 11 million people. This amounts to one in four families. There are a number of issues that need desperate attention, such as one in seven private rented homes being unsafe and high rents meaning just 63% of private tenants having savings.
Generation Rent has identified 47 seats in England with a higher than average private renter population and a parliamentary majority of less than 5000 votes. In these seats, which include those of Cabinet ministers Robert Buckland (South Swindon), Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet) and Alok Sharma (Reading West), private renters could cast the deciding vote.
Maddie Moore, 32, from Malvern, was evicted by her landlord at 6 months’ pregnant. Maddie said: “I was 6 months’ pregnant when my landlord told me I had to leave. I had no choice but to move away from friends and family at a time when I needed them most – the experience left me alienated and isolated for the rest of my pregnancy and the first months of motherhood.
“Section 21 leaves families and pregnant women with no protection against eviction – I hope all parties will be thinking about how to protect renters at this election.”
Dan Wilson Craw, Director of Generation Rent, commented: “The security of homeownership is closed off to millions of people who cannot save when their wage increases are simply swallowed up by the rent.
Private renters are growing older and raising children in insecure, expensive homes, and will be thinking about this on the way to polling stations on 12 December. Any party that wants to run the country must offer renters stable and affordable homes, and this manifesto sets out how to deliver that.”
Miatta Fahnbulleh, Chief Executive of New Economics Foundation said: “Private renting is broken – unaffordable, insecure and often unsafe. This manifesto outlines the policies we need to fix our housing system, and improve conditions for the millions of private renters in the UK.
“The demand for change in private renting is growing, and the size of the renters’ vote is hugely influential. Political parties would be foolish to ignore this.”
Nick Ballard, National Organiser of ACORN Community Union said: “Landlords up and down the country benefit from and contribute to the country’s acute housing crisis by restricting access to housing through ever-higher rents. In the absence of rent controls, they have monetised the human need for shelter and turned homes into assets.
“Restricting supply of a universal need at times of crisis is profiteering. This needs to change. The next government must cap rents at 30% of local income, put a stop to the financialisation of housing and create a national database of landlords and rents to ensure decent, dignified and affordable housing for all.”
Amina Gichinga, of London Renters Union said: “Unaffordable rents are leaving people fighting to survive, with little left over for food or other essentials, and are forcing people away from their communities.
“At this election, the UK’s 11 million renters urgently need rent controls so that no one has to pay more than a third of their income on rent. We need a housing system that works for people not profit.”
Since 2010, there has been a 32% increase in laws that affect landlords in the UK.
According to a new analysis by the Residential Landlords Association (RLA), the total number of regulations affecting landlords has now reached 156. This is up from 118 when the Conservative-led coalition government came into power.
The RLA is warning that no improvement has been made to the enforcement of action against criminal landlords, despite this increase in legislation. Many councils are failing to properly use the powers given to them for such situations.
There is also previous research from the RLA that found in 2017/18 two thirds of councils had not commenced any prosecutions against private landlords. It was during the same year that 89% of councils told the RLA they had not used new powers to issue Civil Penalties. Fines of up to £30,000 can be issued to private landlords for a range of offences. 53% of councils did not have a policy in place to properly use this power.
The RLA is now calling on all political parties in the upcoming election to commit to improving enforcement of the powers already available, instead of introducing new legislation.
In its manifesto for the General Election, the RLA proposes scrapping licensing schemes which serve only to penalise good landlords whilst enabling the criminals to operate under the radar. Councils should instead be using the wide range of data already available to them. This includes using council tax, benefits, tenancy deposit and electoral roll information to identify landlords. It needs to be backed by a multi-year funding settlement from central government to properly resource enforcement.
David Smith, Policy Director for the Residential Landlords Association: “Removing criminal landlords from the sector will only be achieved if councils have the resources and the will to properly use the wide range of powers they already have.
“Piling more regulations onto the sector which will continue not to be properly enforced is meaningless and serves only to put off good landlords from providing the homes to rent we need. It is time for smarter enforcement, not more regulation.”
New property listings in the UK have slipped for the second successive month since the General Election, according to new research.
Data released from online estate agents HouseSimple indicates that new listings fell by 1.6% in July, following a fall of 1.9% in June. This suggests that the expected boost to the market following the election has not materialised.
Uncertainty
Many property sellers put off marketing their properties before the vote, but the resulting hung Parliament and continuing Brexit uncertainty is still deterring both buyers and sellers from the market.
Of the 100 towns and cities covered by the HouseSimple Index, more regions saw an increase in supply in July compared to June. However, supply as a whole fell across the country, led by a 30% month-on-month slip in Newquay and 25.6% drop in King’s Lynn .
On the other hand, Dundee saw new listings almost double to 96.9% in July, while Truro in Cornwall saw a rise of 55.2%.
In London, supply fell at more the twice the rate of the UK average during July, down by 4% compared to figures seen in June. Outer boroughs saw the largest rises, with Redbridge and Sutton recording rises of 22.7% and 13.2% respectively.
UK property listings fall for second successive month
Limbo
Alex Gosling, Chief Executive Officer of HouseSimple, observed: ‘Right now it feels like sellers aren’t really sure what to do. There is so much negative press around Brexit and very little confidence in the Government after such a calamitous election campaign; and fear and uncertainty is weighing heavily on house price growth.’
‘We were expecting to see a late spring boost in new properties being listed in June and a stronger than usual early summer, but neither has materialised. Sellers are in limbo. However, it does already feel like a semblance of normality is starting to return to the market, and by the end of the summer the election will be a distant memory so we could well see a strong September in terms of activity,’ he continued.
Concluding, Mr Gosling said: ‘At the end of the day, life goes on, and the message to anyone thinking of selling is don’t delay a move simply because you’re worried what the market is going to do next. If your property has dropped 5% to 10% in value, it’s likely prices will have dropped in the area you’re buying. If you see a place you want, then try and negotiate with the seller to factor in that drop.’[1]
