Norwich declares a housing crisis
Rights of renters strengthened by motion to Norwich City Council.
Councillors at Norwich City Council have voted through a raft of measures to try and ease the housing crisis for private renters in a motion led by the Green Party, including:
- A commitment to licence all landlords in the city, asking them to agree to a code of conduct and minimum standards for all properties
- Introducing a clear system for tenants to report rogue landlords who have failed to meet these minimum standards
- Investing in an enforcement team responsible for inspecting and investigating landlords where serious hazards are reported
- A commitment to consult on increasing council tax for second homes in the city
- Arranging meetings with housing organisations like Shelter and Acorn to discuss how the council can work better to improve renting in the city
- Calling on the government and UK Labour Party to back national rent controls, an end of unfair evictions and invest significantly in local councils and the police to enforce against bad landlords
At the time of the motion being proposed, Home.co.uk listed average rents in Norwich at £1486.
Nationally, private renters pay a larger proportion of their income on housing than any other tenure. Meanwhile, a significantly higher proportion of privately rented homes are estimated to fail the decent homes standard which are minimum standards for the quality of a home.
Furthermore, private rented properties are the most likely to be deemed unsafe with category 1 hazards under the Housing Health and Safety rating system, meaning hazards where there is a risk of the most serious harm, such as death, permanent paralysis, permanent loss of consciousness, loss of a limb or serious fractures.
Alex Catt, Deputy Leader of the Green Group at City Hall and Shadow Cabinet member for housing and safer communities said: “The Green led motion at City Hall stands up for renters, committing our Labour-led council to finally use its available powers to protect renters in Norwich from unsafe properties and mistreatment by their landlords. We hope that the council now works quickly to implement these measures and urgently sets up meeting with us and the relevant organisations to discuss how the council can improve renting in the city.”
Ash Haynes, Shadow Cabinet member for Housing and Safer Communities said, “This motion is great news for the renters of Norwich who deserve to have safe, secure and affordable places to live. Good landlords who are genuinely fair with their tenants will not mind signing up to a licence ensuring they are meeting these standards. While it is important that we call on the government to end no fault evictions and to put the proper funding into our councils and our court system to enable renters to enforce their rights, the measures in this motion are achievable locally and can be delivered by our council”
Acorn Norwich, a renters union in the city said, “ACORN Norwich welcomes the motion’s passing and the proposed measures. However, we urge the council to act fast and implement the policy they say they support. Whilst they deliberate, renters are left paying eye-watering prices for unsuitable housing with no means to report rogue landlords. The council needs to act decisively and invest in addressing the housing crisis that is swallowing up the city.”