Hannah Cromarty

This House of Commons Library briefing paper outlines temporary measures to assist homeowners to manage their mortgage payments during the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak. It considers lenders’ obligations towards homeowners who are struggling with their mortgage payments, outlines possible sources of advice for mortgagors, and discusses the mortgage support schemes that were introduced in response to the 2008 financial crisis.

This House of Commons Library briefing paper explains how shared ownership housing operates in England. It outlines Government policies to extend shared ownership, including proposals for a new national model for shared ownership and a new right to shared ownership for housing association tenants. The paper also examines the key barriers to extending shared ownership.

This briefing provides information on trends in the number of empty homes in England and outlines local authorities’ powers to tackle empty housing and other relevant initiatives. It also discusses Government action on this issue.

This briefing paper explains the duty on private landlords to protect tenants’ deposits and summarises how the schemes operate. The Government has legislated to cap security deposits in England and is considering whether improvements can be made to the tenancy deposit protection process to benefit both tenants and landlords.

This paper considers how English local authorities deal with private tenants who have been served with a section 21 notice and are about to become homeless. A common response has been to tell tenants in this position to remain in situ until a court order/bailiff’s warrant is obtained. The paper considers changes introduced by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 with effect from 3 April 2018.

This Commons Library briefing paper examines the growth in short-term lettings through online peer-to-peer platforms. It outlines the positive impacts of the accommodation sharing economy, and growing concerns about the adverse effects of high levels of short-term lettings in some areas. The paper discusses calls from some sectors for greater regulation of short-term lettings in England, and provides a brief overview of the regulatory approaches in other countries.

This House of Commons Library briefing paper provides an overview of housing conditions in the private rented sector, explains the legislation regulating standards in the sector and identifies some of the key issues with the current legal framework.

There will be a 30-minute debate on local housing allowance (LHA) rates for homeless young people in Westminster Hall at 4pm on 4 February 2020, led by Caroline Lucas MP.

On Wednesday 29 January 2020, there will be an opposition day debate on homelessness. This page brings together relevant library briefings on homelessness, and recent statistics and comment on the topic.

The Housing and Planning Act 2016 (HPA 2016) received Royal Assent on 12 May 2016. This briefing paper outlines progress in implementing the Act's provisions. Several key measures in the Act will not be taken forward, such as 'pay to stay' and mandatory fixed-term tenancies for local authority landlords in England.

Rough sleepers are one of the most vulnerable groups in society, many with high levels of complex and interrelated needs. This paper provides an overview of the support and services - including accommodation, health, welfare, training, employment and voter registration - that are available for rough sleepers in England, and the challenges rough sleepers can face in accessing them.

This briefing paper sets out the legal framework in England and Wales for controlling standards in HMOs. It considers the powers available to local authorities to carry out enforcement work.