Posted 06.06.16
Following an exciting progress through Parliament, the long awaited and much debated Housing and Planning Bill received Royal Assent and became the Housing and Planning Act 2016 (HPA16) on Thursday 12th May.
Much of the legislation is to be contained in regulations and most of these are still to be brought forward.
Anthony Collins Solicitors have issued the first of a series of e-briefings, aimed at highlighting key points in the legislation. This first issue includes:
Housing Management - Pay to Stay and secure tenancies
HPA16 has posed some significant new powers, penalties and changes (some of which have gone under the radar). Pay to Stay and secure tenancy changes having attracted the most attention and debate in Parliament, but none are yet in force.
With freedom comes responsibility
The deregulatory measures contained within HPA16 were subject to surprisingly little debate during Parliamentary scrutiny of the Bill; particularly given the potential scope of asset freedoms and the eleventh-hour introduction of further provisions relating to golden share arrangements in place for many LSVT housing associations.
CPOs - Clearer, Faster, Fairer
CPO provisions of HPA16 will come into force under separate regulations yet to be passed. Their aim is to make the compulsory purchase process "clearer, faster and fairer", but in practice these changes will have minimal impact.
Funding the VRTB - vacant higher value local authority housing
HPA16 contains two key provisions in this regard:
Where next on the road to VRTB?
HPA16 paves the way for the Voluntary Right to Buy (VRTB) to be rolled out across housing associations in England.
Starter homes - the policy will make its mark
Starter homes were probably the most political aspect of a very political HPA16.
Further e-briefings will be issued as and when new information becomes available
