Housing briefing
As the rising cost of living has continued to hit households across the country, the Conservative government has failed to protect them from unaffordable rent rises and the very real risk of being evicted. The Green Party is calling for an immediate cap on rent increases as well as a ban on no-fault evictions to give people the security they need during these difficult and uncertain times.
3 Green priorities
- A freeze on private rents: An immediate freeze on private rents to protect households from unaffordable rent rises.
- A ban on no-fault evictions: A ban on no-fault evictions to give renters much needed security during the cost of living crisis.
- Warmer homes, lower bills: A £250 billion plan to insulate 10 million homes over the next 10 years - funded by an emergency package of taxes on the super-rich and biggest polluters; emergency insulation grants to help those at risk of fuel poverty.
A freeze on private rents and a ban on no-fault evictions
- The cost of living crisis has hit households hard, with average prices up over 10% on the previous year according to the ONS inflation figures for the 12 months to January.
- But some essential expenses have risen even more: the cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks is up almost 17% and the cost of housing, water and energy bills is up 26.7%. Private rental prices increased by 4.4% in the 12 months to January 2023 - the largest annual percentage change since the analysis began in 2016 - and these rent increases are often far higher in larger cities such as London, Bristol and Manchester.
- This concerning situation where the very basics that we all need to live a healthy and happy life are becoming unaffordable for many is compounded by a worrying trend of increasing rental evictions - up 98% in the final three months of 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021.
- The result is that many households are in an increasingly precarious position, facing the very real prospect of being forced out of their homes due to spiralling prices and landlords looking to evict tenants in order to raise rents further.
- The Government has so far failed to act to protect renters, and their plans to reform the private rental sector will seemingly do no better: a report by the cross-party Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Committee in February found that the Government’s proposed sales and occupations grounds in its rental reform white paper could be “too easily exploited by bad landlords and become a backdoor to no-fault evictions”.
- To protect renters currently struggling with rising costs, the Green Party of England and Wales is calling on the Government to introduce a freeze on private rents and a ban on no-fault evictions.
- This would follow the example of the Scottish Greens who in October led emergency legislation through the Scottish Parliament to freeze rents and suspend evictions until at least March 31st.
- These two measures would be a huge help to households, giving them the security they need to know that they will have a roof over their head. Knowing that you have a secure home is vital for both physical and mental health. Households already face soaring energy and food costs; the last thing they need, on top of everything else they have to contend with, is unaffordable rent rises and the fear of being evicted.
Warmer homes, lower bills
- As well as protecting households from unaffordable rent rises and the threat of evictions, the Green Party also has a plan to bring household bills down for good.
- The cheapest energy bill is the one you don’t have to pay because your home is so well-insulated that it needs little or no heating.
- The Green Party has a plan to provide £250 billion for local authorities to insulate and upgrade 10 million homes over the next ten years
- This investment would be funded by reform to the tax system to ensure the wealthiest 1% and the biggest polluters pay their fair share.
- The tax reform would include a super-rich tax on assets of the wealthiest 1% of households which would raise in the region of £70bn; a proper loophole-free windfall tax on the dirty profits of fossil fuel companies; and a carbon tax to make the biggest polluters pay for their destructive activities.
- The Green Party’s council-led insulation plan would bring down domestic energy bills for good in the longer term. In the shorter term, we would provide an emergency grant to homeowners, landlords and councils to fund immediate insulation improvements to those at risk of fuel poverty, so that those who need support most urgently get it first.
