Member

While the Bill’s focus on security of tenure and housing quality is welcome, it does not currently address the fundamental issue of cost, which is the No. 1 issue for most private renters when surveyed. Incremental tweaks to the tribunal system will not resolve the scale of the affordability crisis that we have today. A national commission would be equipped to analyse the full complexity of that crisis: the interplay of supply and demand; the role of the local housing allowance; the chronic shortage of social housing; the effects of different rent stabilisation measures in comparator nations; and the impact of fiscal policy on the sector. While increasing the supply of affordable homes is essential, the reality is that such measures will take years to affect rents; we need urgent, evidence-based interventions now.