As the owner of 15 residential properties in East London, Labour MP Jas Athwal is the biggest landlord in the House of Commons. Last month, the MP for Ilford South was forced to apologise after a BBC investigation found issues in his rented properties, which posed a serious risk to the health and safety of his tenants. Hazards included ant infestations, mould, faulty lights, dirty communal areas, and fire alarms hanging from the ceilings.
The news is an embarrassing dent in the new government’s bold commitments to tackle the country’s housing crisis, but hopeful for the families living in Athwal’s properties. The MP has reportedly sacked his letting agent, claiming he was unaware of the issues and that his licences were outdated.
The case exposes much of what is wrong with housing in this country and has been for decades. Trapped tenants who feel powerless to improve their living conditions. Decency standards flouted without consequence until appalling photographs appeared on social media. The growing role of intermediaries (in this case, a letting agent) and their duty to manage landlord and tenant relations and assuring decent housing standards.
For decades, housing in this country has remained a political thorn. Announced with a fanfare of bold commitments by new governments and ministers, only for ambitious targets to fall by the wayside and well-intentioned policies diluted by vested interests. House prices soared 377 per cent in 30 years; more than 112,000 households living in temporary accommodation. Local authorities are spending over £1.7bn on temporary accommodation for homeless households with 1.2 million more households on local authority social housing waiting lists. Wave after wave of piecemeal policy and short-term thinking has left us in crisis and families living in insecure, dangerous, and unaffordable homes.
We cannot stand by and let this continue. So, do we now have a chance to finally improve housing?
The new Labour government has put economic growth at the heart of its agenda and kickstarted a historical house building programme – to the tune of 1.5 million new homes over the next five years. The King’s Speech announced four key bills aimed at improving the nation’s housing prospects: the (long-awaited) Renters’ Rights Bill to increase protections of private renters; the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, to overhaul and invest in planning and unlock land for development; the Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill, to increase consumer rights (and transparency) for leaseholders. And finally, the English Devolution Bill, which includes “empowering local communities with a strong new ‘right to buy’ for valued community assets.”
Without a doubt, housing is a complex system – a web of interconnected economic levers and societal consequences. The key to the proposed legislation will be their wider economic and social consequences, separately and collectively on everything from housing affordability, the impact on private landlord portfolios, the flow of properties in and out of the private and social sectors and the use of temporary accommodation.
At the Nationwide Foundation, we have taken a long-term systemic approach to tackling the housing crisis. Our work has ranged from commissioning research on housing affordability, and the role of the private rental sector, to investing in community-led housing to help diversify the housebuilding market and co-financing outcomes-based commissioning to tackle homelessness.
In April, our work culminated in Homes for All – a powerful vision for what a well-functioning housing system could look like. It was developed in partnership with the Church of England, alongside leading academics, major housing representative bodies, charities, builders, developers, policymakers, and politicians. Together the coalition has provided 25 key outcomes of a good housing system to bring clarity, priority, and urgency to the conversation.
As we await the government’s promised housing strategy, Homes for All provides hope for the future of England’s housing, and a powerful blueprint that ministers would do well to observe. Critics may say a long-term vision that spans political cycles is politically naïve. We would argue that our housing crisis is now so desperately dire that we cannot afford anything less.
Homes for All is not some utopian dream. Developed by cross-sector housing experts, it provides a vision, clear steps, and governance recommendations to make the outcomes a reality. And importantly, it puts compassion at its heart – for the family lives and livelihoods blighted by indecent homes; the children who have only known a temporary home; and to the tenants fearful of reprisals if they complain about poor conditions or shock rent rises. Our homes should sustain our health, provide access to work and public services, offer peace and community. In the 21st century, our homes should be a firm foundation – secure, stable places for our families to thrive.
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