Written questions by Ribeiro-Addy.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of (a) changes in the number of housing association social tenants in rent arrears and (b) increased rents.

Individual circumstances will vary, not least depending on whether tenants receive Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit to help pay their rent, and whether they are affected by the total benefit cap or the removal of the spare room subsidy, but the government recognises that increases in rents can have an impact on the disposable income of social housing tenants.We recently consulted on a long-term rent settlement that would allow social housing rents to increase by up to CPI + 1% each year for five years from 2026. As part of that consultation, we invited views on whether this proposal or alternative options would strike the right balance between the need for increased investment in new and existing homes and the interests of those whose disposable income would be affected by rent increases, as well as the consequences for welfare spending.The consultation closed on 23 December 2024 and my officials and I are giving careful consideration to the responses received.The government has no plans to freeze rents or cap service charges for tenants and leaseholders.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of a new regulator for service charges.

As set out in my Written Ministerial Statement of 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), the government will consult on the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act’s service charge and litigation costs provisions this year, bringing these measures into force as quickly as possible thereafter.We will also consult on new reforms to the section 20 ‘major works’ procedure that leaseholders must go through when they face large bills for such works and on strengthening regulation of managing agents to drive up the standard of their service, as a minimum by introducing mandatory professional qualifications.Details of the number of cases received and disposed of by the First-tier Tribunal can be found on gov.uk here and decisions made by the First-tier Tribunal Residential Property Chamber can be found on gov.uk here. The Department does not have a breakdown on how many cases relate to service charge disputes.The government funds the provision of free information and advice by the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) to leaseholders, including on service charge issues. This enables leaseholders to take an informed decision on what appropriate action they need to take next.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support housing association social tenants in rent arrears.

The government is clear that social landlords should seek to sustain tenancies and should only evict as a last resort.Landlords will, when managing their social housing schemes, provide advice and assistance to those struggling financially, including signposting to support services.The Pre-Action Protocol for Possession Claims by Social Landlords sets out the actions social landlords should take to support the tenant before they consider taking legal action for rent arrears. These actions include making early contact with tenants to discuss the cause of the arrears, checking eligibility for housing benefit, assisting with any claim, and agreeing affordable repayment terms for the arrears. The protocol can be found on the justice website here.Consumer standards, which are set by the independent Regulator of Social Housing, define the outcomes which all registered providers of social housing must deliver. These require that registered providers must support tenants to maintain their tenancy or licence and prevent unnecessary evictions.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to prevent overcharging of service charges by (a) councils, (b) housing associations, (c) private landlords and (d) intermediary managing agents.

As set out in my Written Ministerial Statement of 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), the government will consult on the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act’s service charge and litigation costs provisions this year, bringing these measures into force as quickly as possible thereafter.We will also consult on new reforms to the section 20 ‘major works’ procedure that leaseholders must go through when they face large bills for such works and on strengthening regulation of managing agents to drive up the standard of their service, as a minimum by introducing mandatory professional qualifications.Details of the number of cases received and disposed of by the First-tier Tribunal can be found on gov.uk here and decisions made by the First-tier Tribunal Residential Property Chamber can be found on gov.uk here. The Department does not have a breakdown on how many cases relate to service charge disputes.The government funds the provision of free information and advice by the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) to leaseholders, including on service charge issues. This enables leaseholders to take an informed decision on what appropriate action they need to take next.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of challenges brought to the English First-tier Property Tribunal against (a) councils, (b) housing associations, (c) private landlords and (d) intermediary managing agents for the (i) level and (ii) payability of service charges in 2024.

As set out in my Written Ministerial Statement of 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), the government will consult on the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act’s service charge and litigation costs provisions this year, bringing these measures into force as quickly as possible thereafter.We will also consult on new reforms to the section 20 ‘major works’ procedure that leaseholders must go through when they face large bills for such works and on strengthening regulation of managing agents to drive up the standard of their service, as a minimum by introducing mandatory professional qualifications.Details of the number of cases received and disposed of by the First-tier Tribunal can be found on gov.uk here and decisions made by the First-tier Tribunal Residential Property Chamber can be found on gov.uk here. The Department does not have a breakdown on how many cases relate to service charge disputes.The government funds the provision of free information and advice by the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) to leaseholders, including on service charge issues. This enables leaseholders to take an informed decision on what appropriate action they need to take next.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment has she made of the potential merits of (a) freezing rents and (b) capping service charges for housing association social tenants.

Individual circumstances will vary, not least depending on whether tenants receive Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit to help pay their rent, and whether they are affected by the total benefit cap or the removal of the spare room subsidy, but the government recognises that increases in rents can have an impact on the disposable income of social housing tenants.We recently consulted on a long-term rent settlement that would allow social housing rents to increase by up to CPI + 1% each year for five years from 2026. As part of that consultation, we invited views on whether this proposal or alternative options would strike the right balance between the need for increased investment in new and existing homes and the interests of those whose disposable income would be affected by rent increases, as well as the consequences for welfare spending.The consultation closed on 23 December 2024 and my officials and I are giving careful consideration to the responses received.The government has no plans to freeze rents or cap service charges for tenants and leaseholders.

Communities and Local Government, whether she is taking steps to ensure housing associations who raise rents for social housing tenants above inflation are using the increased revenue to invest in building new homes.

Housing associations use income from social housing rents to deliver services to their tenants, manage and maintain their homes to the required standards, and invest in new homes.Government does not place requirements on housing associations to use rental income to invest in new homes. However, we recognise the need to support them so they can build their capacity and make a greater contribution to affordable housing supply.One way we are doing this is by providing capital grant through the Affordable Homes Programme. In October 2024, we announced an immediate one-year cash injection of £500m to the 2021-2026 Affordable Homes Programme over and above its £11.5bn budget, to support delivery of up to 5,000 new social and affordable homes.

Communities and Local Government, if she will publish a strategy on ending all forms of homelessness.

Homelessness levels are far too high. This has a devastating impact on those affected and harms our communities.We must address this and deliver long-term solutions. The Government is considering these issues carefully and is committed to putting Britain back on track to ending homelessness. To do this we will develop a new cross-government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country.