New law in Wales guarantees right to proper housing

The Housing Secretary for Wales has recently published a White Paper on Adequate Housing, Fair Rents, and Affordability for public consultation. This significant development comes after gathering feedback and evidence through the Welsh Government’s Green Paper consultation conducted the previous year.

The insights gained from the responses and evidence emphasised the crucial need to precisely define housing adequacy in a Welsh context and ascertain how it can be progressively achieved. The White Paper outlines proposals for establishing a long-term housing strategy that offers a clear and measurable framework to ensure the provision of adequate housing for all individuals.

Key proposals within the White Paper include plans to introduce legislation in the upcoming Senedd term, placing an obligation on Welsh Ministers to formulate a housing strategy addressing housing adequacy, along with provisions for monitoring, reporting, and review. Additionally, there is consideration for imposing a duty on specified public sector bodies to take the housing strategy into account while carrying out their housing responsibilities.

Furthermore, the White Paper presents various initiatives aimed at enhancing affordability, habitability, and accessibility within the Private Rented Sector – essential components of housing adequacy. These proposals, informed by the Green Paper consultation, underscore the necessity to enhance the reliability of rent data as an initial step towards comprehensively understanding the local context and effectively targeting potential future policy interventions.

Specific proposals outlined in the White Paper encompass mechanisms to enhance rent data, such as mandating landlords and/or agents to furnish rent data to Rent Smart Wales, developing a spatial rent map illustrating local area rent data, guidelines on establishing property habitability, support provisions for tenants with pets, advice on rent guarantors, and exploring potential benefits like Land Transaction Tax (‘LTT’) relief for higher residential rates if properties sign up for the Welsh Government’s Leasing Scheme Wales.

Jayne Bryant, the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, emphasised the government’s commitment to ensuring that every individual in Wales has access to a decent, affordable, and safe home. Bryant highlighted the progress already made towards achieving housing adequacy in Wales, focusing on initiatives to improve housing quality, bolster tenant rights, increase social housing stocks, implement measures to manage second homes, and reform strategies to tackle homelessness.

She stated, “We are also building on these strong foundations, with continued significant investment to deliver more social homes and are developing ambitious and far-reaching legislation to support our ambition to end homelessness.”

Tim Thomas, the policy and campaigns officer at Propertymark, commended the direction set by the White Paper in ensuring Adequate Housing, Fair Rents, and Affordability. Propertymark engaged extensively with the Welsh Government, appreciating the avoidance of rent controls in Wales based on their feedback.

Thomas added, “We also welcome the emphasis on improving localised data sources to make more informed policy decisions for the Private Rented Sector in Wales, enabling policymakers to better grasp market rents and affordability challenges.”

Moreover, he stated, “Fundamentally, we believe that affordability can be achieved by fostering property supply through a pro-growth taxation policy. A key aspect of housing adequacy is nurturing a professional, well-regulated, and responsive sector, and we are committed to collaborating with the Welsh Government to showcase the professional standards upheld by property agents within our membership.”

The consultation for the White Paper is open until 31 January 2025, offering stakeholders and the public an opportunity to engage with the proposals and provide valuable feedback to shape the future of housing in Wales.