This is a short and focused bill which extends to England and Wales but applies to England only. It is aimed at protecting existing social rented homes by completing the government’s reforms of the right to buy, strengthening protections for victims of domestic abuse in relation to joint tenancies and tidying up legislation to help support tenants’ rights to safe and secure homes and the sector’s ability to continue to invest in it. There are four parts to the bill and three schedules:
- Part 1 – protecting social housing
- Part 2 – protections for tenants who are victims of domestic abuse
- Part 3 – previous housing legislation and local authority consents regime
- Part 4 – contains the technical clauses related to the bill
CIH welcomes the introduction of the Social Housing Bill and has long called for the measures outlined to deliver on commitments around right to buy reform which will give councils more confidence to invest in hew homes. However, there are areas where we believe the government could go further and we are proposing amendments in three key areas:
- Disposals
- Domestic abuse
- Access for safety
