No, the sentence I have in mind, buried away towards the end of his statement, was: "I can now announce that I will establish a single housing inspectorate, building on the excellent work of the Audit Commission and the Housing Corporation." I have not yet been able to find out precisely what the role and duties of this inspectorate will be.
Far from being disappointed, I am gratified. For while we wait for clarification of what the inspectorate will do, I will be able to provide my own agenda for its activities. I hope my good friend John will read this.
First, of course, there is the inspectorate's assignment to replace the Housing Corporation, many of whose duties I imposed when as junior housing minister I steered the Housing Act of 1974 through the Commons. In those days, 28 years ago, housing associations, which are regulated and funded by the Housing Corporation, were responsible mostly for providing specialised social housing. Now, however, because of the depredations of the Tories in practically eliminating the building of council houses, housing associations are the main, and often the only, providers of newly built social housing for rent.
In carrying out this responsibility, housing associations have a variable record. In being accountable for what they do, they have a poor record. Local authorities may not be the world's most wonderful landlords; they can be, simultaneously, dictatorial and slipshod. Yet they can be held to account both by active councillors and, ultimately, by voters.
Housing associations too often go their own sweet – or not-so-sweet – way, with the Housing Corporation's rein being far too loose. Just getting a reply, within a reasonable time or even at all, to letters to certain associations can be a real chore.
So I hope the new inspectorate will be very hands-on in its dealings with housing associations, representing not only the government whose funds it bestows but the tenants who have at present no effective statutory voice. I also hope it will be given a key role in relation to private landlords. Although the private rented sector has shrunk, the creation by the Tories of shorthold tenancies has put those renting at the mercy of private landlords.
Further, some private landlords are involved in housing benefit scams. Some landlords collect benefit to which they are not entitled by pretending they have tenants when they do not. Others collude with sham tenants who are relatives to rip off the housing benefit system. I have even had complaints about certain private landlords using housing benefit to turn their accommodation into brothels.
The government has already announced its intention to introduce legislation for a licensing system for private landlords in areas where there are unscrupulous landlords with antisocial and nuisance tenants. Such landlords will not only have to be fit and proper persons to be licensed but will be required to take more responsibility for their tenants, including vetting them and removing antisocial tenants. This is admirable, but I would like it to go further.
I advocate the compulsory registration of all private landlords, on the same criteria as those proposed for the projected legislation. Such legislation, whether it covers all or only some private landlords, would be that much more effective if the new housing inspectorate were to be the supervising body. No good landlords will have anything to fear, but all bad landlords should be put in fear.
I may also have some proposals about supervision of estate agents by the new housing inspectorate. Estate agents can have a major effect, not only on the property market but also on the properties which they accept for sale or refuse to accept, on the social and environmental conditions in areas with run-down properties.
I have already marked John Prescott's agenda sufficiently for the time being.
But John, since you and I both care deeply about housing, I'll be back.
Source
Housing Today
Postscript
Gerald Kaufman is Labour MP for Manchester Gorton and chair of the culture, media and sport select committee
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