Housing & Regeneration Article
17 May, 2019
On 7 May 2019 the Regulator of Social Housing launched a 12 week consultation on a revised Rent Standard that will come into force from the 1st of April 2020, replacing the current guidance which was published in May 2015. This consultation follows the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government's Direction to the Regulator of Social Housing, which was issued in February 2019.
The 2019 Direction was the initial instruction where the Regulator of Social Housing set the new rent standard from 1 April 2020 for low cost rental accommodation, and relaxed rules on how to carry this out. The Direction outlines the rules around the management and setting of a new five-year rent settlement. It contains the same exemptions as under the current 2015 Rent Standard, definitions for social rent and affordable rent housing, and the formula rent that social rent properties are subject to. These provisions are broadly aligned with the current 2015 Rent Standard and are key given that government policy over rents, alongside the grant funding for development, are key pillars of the social housing sector.
The 12 week consultation follows the 2019 Direction and will be for registered providers, local authorities, tenants, lenders and all other stakeholders with an interest in social housing to comment on.
In a shift away from the 2015 Rent Standard, the principal focus of the consultation is four key changes that will brought in from April 2020:
It is important to note that, although the 2019 Direction only serves as guidance to the Regulator of Social Housing, it should be seen as the framework which underpins the regulations that rent standard will be based on, and the standard that Registered Providers will sooner or later be held to.
The consultation closes on 30 July 2019 and responses should be completed via the online portal.
For more information contact Aisha Bhailok in our Housing & Regeneration department via email or phone on 0333 207 1130. Alternatively send any question through to Forbes Solicitors via our online Contact Form.
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