The new housing minister, Gavin Barwell, says he is behind the concept of longer tenancies for renters in the private sector.
In response to a House of Commons question from Conservative Julian Knight - now MP for Solihull and previously a journalist at The Independent - Barwell said he was investigating how to make longer tenancies easier to obtain for renters.
“My department [the DCLG] has developed a model tenancy agreement for use by landlords and tenants in the private rented sector, which encourages longer-term tenancies for those who want them. We are working with the sector to actively promote the use of this and to identify any barriers. We have also established a working group, focussed on affordability and security in the private rented sector, which will look at what more we can do to help people who require longer tenancies to get them” he told Knight.
One of Barwell’s predecessors as housing minister announced in October 2013 that the government was to introduce new measures to encourage longer, fixed term, ‘family-friendly’ tenancies in the rental sector.
This involved providing a model tenancy agreement developed alongside the sector which sets out the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords and “acts as a benchmark for written tenancy agreements.”
Shelter - the campaigning charity many feel has had influence on government policies...
Housing minister Gavin Barwell has confirmed that consultation on the government’s...
Housing minister Gavin Barwell is organising a series of regional meetings...
The government’s wave of measures to clamp down on the private...
The predictions game can be tricky. Sometimes you just don’t know...
Leading UK property auctioneer Bond Wolfe has broken through the £100...
Uncertainty triggered by the new Labour Government and taxation concerns that...
B-hive Block Management Partners Celebrates Major Milestone With Over 100 Businesses...
We’re absolutely delighted to announce that, after 10 years, we’re able...
You don’t have to simply accept things as they are when...
%20-%20IMAGE%20Client%20Accounting%20%E2%80%93%20what%20are%20your%20options.jpg)
The benefits for letting agents to outsource their client accounting is...
Attention estate agents: if you're looking for a bumper Christmas bonus,...
%20(002).png)
In today's fast-paced and ever-evolving property industry, it’s essential that forward-thinking...
.png)
I think we can all agree that the National Trading Standards...
.png)
In September last year, flatfair, a deposit alternative provider, released their...
Introduction The lettings market is no stranger to the complexities and challenges...
%20(002).jpg)
Interim inspections are a necessity if you want to avoid property...
It’s no secret – 2023 is a difficult year for the...
The law is clear – agencies in England, Scotland and Wales...
The Oxfordshire based PropTech founders and software developers of Openview, today...
Who are you and what does it say on...
Who are you and what does it say on...
Who are you and what does it say on...
Join the conversation
Jump to latest comment and add your reply
'for those who want them' is the key phrase here. Forcing long tenancies on tenants or landlords would not be clever. But the present system would anyway permit longer tenancies 'for those who want them' so what's the point?
Aside from getting the banks to agree to this, I'm sure the idea of longer tenancies is only viewed as a one-way street...no doubt if 1-3 year tenancies were commonplace, there'd be a clause to allow the tenant to cut loose. I cannot imagine many renter's whose circumstance has changed, say 8 months into a 3-year agreement, being too happy about being held to the remainder (some 24-months!) and the associated rent.
"What do we want?" "Long term tenancies?" "When do we want it?" "Now! (Provided we can wriggle out of them if it suits us)..."
*28-months, even!
Please login to comment