Member

Amendment 36 from the noble Baroness, Lady Coffey, would prevent any disposal in a rural area. I am afraid I cannot support an outright ban that would prevent landlords making legitimate business decisions about how they best manage their stock. I have similar concerns regarding the noble Baroness’s Amendment 48B, which seeks to prevent disposals on a cash-only basis. This seeks, in effect, to prevent relevant sales via auction. It is important that private registered providers are free to manage the homes that they own in the most effective manner. They should also be free to choose the means of sale. Sometimes, particularly given the nature of the home they are selling, the most effective means of disposal may be auction. The amendment would impose an outright ban on such sales, which I do not support.