Uk & International

A landlord has been jailed following the first sex-for-rent conviction in England. Christopher Cox, 53, of Guildford Road, Cranleigh, pleaded guilty to two counts of inciting prostitution for gain and one count of controlling prostitution for gain when he appeared before Guildford Crown Court in Mar

New legislation announced in the Queen’s Speech yesterday will improve the lives of millions of renters by driving up standards in the private and socially rented sectors across England, according to the housing secretary at Westminster.

More than 18,000 affordable houses have been lost as a result of office-to-residential conversions under permitted development in England, the Local Government Association warned today.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is considering the reintroduction of the ‘right to buy’ policy to enable tenants to pur­chase their hous­ing as­so­ci­a­tion homes, according to reports.

Housing association tenants of long leasehold flats and the service charges they pay are to be included for the first time under a revised service charge residential management code.

The UK Government has outlined housing sector exemption measures it intends to introduce including new powers for local authorities to manage supported housing, changes to housing benefit regulations and minimum standards for support. 

Scottish charity Social Bite has launched its very first coffee shop in London. It will operate a rewarding ‘Pay-It-Forward’ system whereby customers who come in to buy a coffee or a sandwich can buy an additional meal or hot drink in advance for someone who is homeless to redeem later.

The Right to Buy in England has become a strategic failure and, unless reconsidered, will continue to generate uneven spatial and social impacts, contributing to social disadvantage and exacerbating inequalities, according to new research.

The Welsh Government has announced an increase to the maximum level of council tax premiums for second homes, as well as new local tax rules for holiday lets. The changes represent more steps taken to ensure people can find an affordable home in the place they have grown up.

The UK Government has confirmed that it will repeal the 1824 law that criminalises rough sleeping and begging in England and Wales.

A third of local authorities in England are subject to penalties to encourage development after new figures revealed they are failing to deliver an adequate number of homes.

Over 13 million people in England have no access to a local authority crisis support scheme, according to a report published today by End Furniture Poverty. The campaigning charity says there are now 32 local authorities no longer offering support with one in five English local authorities not opera

San Francisco is exploring the possibility of introducing a tax on tens of thousands of empty homes as homelessness rises with estimates of a shortage of about 160,000 homes. 

The Housing Finance Corporation (THFC) has completed its first charging exercise involving homes being built using modern methods of construction (MMC) with borrower GreenSquareAccord.

Social housing residents in England will be better protected as part of a review to ensure they are listened to, according to Eddie Hughes, minister for rough sleeping and housing in England. The review on qualifications and professional training will drive up standards by making sure social housing