Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Deferred
Paragraph: 39
Require landlords to include property accessibility information in the Private Rented Sector database.
Conclusion
The proposed new Property Portal presents a compelling opportunity to improve information about the accessibility of properties in the private rented sector. This would provide a clear benefit to disabled people. Once the Renters (Reform) Bill comes into force, the Secretary of State must use its provisions to require landlords to include information about the accessibility of their property/properties in their entries in the private rented sector database. This must include any specific accessibility features or adaptations that are already installed, in order to better support the housing needs of disabled people in the private rented sector.
Government Response Summary
The government response reviews the suitability of the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) upper limit and expects the review to conclude later in 2025, but does not address the recommendation to use the Renters (Reform) Bill to require landlords to include accessibility information in a new property portal.
Paragraph Reference:
39
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
30. This government is reviewing the suitability of the current grant upper limit. As recommended, the review is taking account of inflation and construction costs, and we are also considering the variation in costs between regions. We expect the review to conclude later in 2025. Given that any rise in the upper limit will require additional funding, the government will say more about its future approach after the Spending Review. In the interim, local authorities have considerable discretion and may fund adaptations above the current £30,000 upper limit in line with a local policy or in exceptional circumstances. LUHC Select Committee Report conclusion: Whilst we recognise the need for the DFG means test to be a well-evidenced process, the current DFG means test is unnecessarily complex and leads many applicants to drop out of the DFG process entirely. We are also concerned that the means test’s passporting provisions can result in unfair ‘cliff-edges’ for applicants when they move into work.