The Liberal Democrats have vowed to make three-year tenancies the default and to reintroduce requirements for landlords to upgrade their properties to an EPC C or above by 2028.
In its election manifesto, the party says it will deliver a fair deal for renters by also immediately banning no-fault evictions and creating a national register of licensed landlords. Leader Ed Davey explains that the Lib Dems are committed to tackling housing failures head-on by addressing the fact that many people can’t afford to buy or rent a home of good quality or are living in housing so poor it damages their health.
It would increase building of new homes to 380,000 a year across the UK, including 150,000 social homes a year, through new garden cities and community-led development. Residential leaseholds would be abolished, ground rents capped to a nominal fee, and dangerous cladding would be removed from all buildings, while ensuring that leaseholders do not have to pay anything towards it.
The Lib Dems want to give local authorities new powers to control second homes and short-term lets in their areas by allowing them to increase council tax by up to 500% where homes are being bought as second homes, with a stamp duty surcharge on overseas residents buying such properties. It has pledged to fairly reform capital gains tax to close loopholes exploited by the super wealthy and believes it can save £5 billion in the process.
The party would also help people who can’t afford a deposit to own their own homes by introducing a new Rent to Own model for social housing where rent payments give tenants an increasing stake in the property, owning it outright after 30 years.
The manifesto explains: “Too many new houses are built as leasehold and leaseholders still face large bills, not least because of the building safety scandal. Homelessness remains shamefully high. Local authorities’ powers to build the kind of homes needed in their areas are inadequate.”
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