The Senedd’s Local Government and Housing Committee’s consultation on homelessness following unprecedented demand on local authorities' supply of temporary accommodation specifically wanted to explore the supply of temporary accommodation, the impact living in temporary accommodation has on individuals and their families and ways in which the supply of affordable housing could be increased.
Propertymark has stressed that the Welsh Government must increase the supply of both private and socially rented accommodation.
Increasing the supply in the private rented sector
We emphasised that temporary accommodation should be exactly that – temporary. To meet the needs of vulnerable people they need sustainable housing that they can call home. When families live in temporary accommodation, they have reduced medical, educational and employment opportunities. With the right support in place, more families can access the PRS.
We used the opportunity to give further warning over proposals to increase notice periods to six months could have on the supply in the PRS. This could be further impacted by the rent freezes which may be considered in the early part of 2023.
Local Housing Allowance
Propertymark also outlined that the Welsh Government must continue to call for the UK Government to increase Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates to keep in line with market rents, scrap the Shared Accommodation Rates and review the Broad Rental Market Areas that do not reflect fair LHA rates.
Local authorities also have a role in ensuring that vulnerable tenants have adequate access to Discretionary Housing Payments to support them in rent arrears or any other financial housing-related problems.
