Consultation on Affordable Rented Housing: Analysis of Consultation Responses

13 Additional Comments (Q54)

13.1 Respondents were asked whether they had any additional comments in relation to the proposals. About 20% of respondents provided additional comments, which were varied and included the following:

• No reference is made to the tenant's right to assign the tenancy, and a review should be undertaken on whether it is still reasonable for it to continue to be for the tenant to decide;
• Consideration be give to allocating 'extra points' to people with strong ties to their local community, particularly in rural areas;
• Building more homes across various tenures to meet demand;
• Encouraging problem or vulnerable tenants to make greater contributions to their local community (e.g. through groups and facilities) which could in turn be taken into account by landlords in the allocations process;
• Providing more adapted housing for the elderly, sick and disabled which better meets their needs and may free up housing which would be more suitable for other groups, e.g. families;
• The need to ensure that landlords are committed to building communities, not just houses;
• The need to have measures in place to safeguard the rights of tenants to challenge decisions (e.g. via legal aid) and to provide them with independent housing options advice if greater flexibility is provided to landlords;
• The suggestion to include persistent non payment of rent and arrears as a justifiable ground for converting an existing tenancy to a short secure tenancy.