Aberystwyth Town
Council’s Evidence to the Housing and Local Government
Committee – The Right to Adequate Housing
A number of
problems linked to this affect people in the Aberystwyth
area:
- The standard of
rented accommodation and HMOs is low in many cases. Many tenants
have problems with mould, structural issues, rats etc and some of
them are afraid to complain.
- Many tenants are
on very insecure contracts and are unsure how long they will be
able to stay in their accommodation.
- The rental market
has collapsed with a very limited number of properties available
for rent. Tenants undergoing no-fault evictions can’t find
anywhere else to live.
- The County
Council clearly has a lot of trouble holding landlords to account.
In Ceredigion last year there were 382 service requests received
but only 3 enforcement notices issued. This suggests that the laws
and arrangements for landlord accountability are not easy or quick
to use and local authorities should be supported to regulate the
sector more effectively.
- It appears that
some landlords are not on the register, which causes problems in
trying to hold them to account.
- Recently, the
County Council had a waiting list for emergency accommodation. The
County Council have now managed to clear this but we don’t
know if this will happen again.
- At the same time,
some houses/flats lie empty, others are second homes and others
have been turned into AirBnBs.
- The lack of
accommodation at a reasonable price affects the ability to
retain/attract key workers.
- The lack of
accommodation at a price that is affordable on a local wage is a
factor in the out-migration of young people, which has negative
impacts on language, culture, the local economy, public services
and community cohesion.
- Some people with
families are in houses which are too small for them.
- Some older people
would be keen to downsize but due to the lack of provision for
“last time buyers” (access, rails etc) they continue to
live in large houses.
- Some people are
offered social housing far out of town and the lack of and decline
of public transport stops them from moving in, or stops them from
working, if they don’t have a car.
In terms of
establighing the right to an adequate home, we suggest the
following:
- Revise the title
to say The Right to Adequate Housing Locally.
- Place a statutory
duty on local authorities to ensure that local people can get
adequate accommodation locally (withing a reasonable travelling
time on public transport / active travel).
- Fund local
authorities adequately to fulfil this.
- Measure the true
need for accommodation in every area at a community level,
including the precise types of accommodation required, and use this
to revise local development plans.
- Streamline
arrangements for ensuring that landlords meet an acceptable
standard for their tenants, including the creation of an
advice/assistance package to help local authorities tackle the
problem.
- Establish a
mechanism to force local authorities and housing providers to carry
out their duties and ensure that all accommodation under their
watch is fit for human inhabitation.
- It needs to be
ensured that all landlords are on the list.
- Strengthen the
rights of tenants, including protecting tenants from no-fault
eviction if they complain. Set up longer term, more stable
contracts, which only end with the tenant’s consent or due to
the tenant violating the contract.
- Ensure that more
accommodation is provided for “last time buyers”, which
meets standards for the health, safety and welfare of older people
(and thus release family homes).
- Further measures
to regulate second homes and AirBnB properties that were formerly
residential accommodation.
- Introduce
additional measures to bring empty buildings back into residential
use.