From Channel 4 News:
“We’re inviting you to become you the lawmaker - to take part in creating new legislation. Next month MPs will hold a ballot for which of them gets to put forward a private member’s bill (PMBs). Those who win will be lobbied fervently by pressure groups and interested parties with their pet projects. But we want your suggestions. We’ll pick out the best and put them before the MPs with the power to take them forward. It can be anything you like - the abolition of the death penalty and the legalisation of abortion both started life as PMBs - but the bills with the most chance of success tend to ones that will command widespread support across parliament.
Email your ideas to us at more4news@channel4.com, and we’ll invite the senders of the best proposals to make a short film, which we’ll present to the winners of the ballot on 11 December.”
Here is my suggestion, on a topic which I feel quite strongly about…
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Bring back security of tenure for renters
What is it?
Security of tenure is the right of a tenant to continue living in their home after the term of their tenancy agreement has expired.
Why do we need it?
Right now millions of tenants are living in fear of evection if their landlord were ever to go bankrupt. People living in substandard accommodation can’t uphold their legal rights for fear of being thrown out of their homes.
If people want to settle down, find jobs and send their children to local schools, they don’t want this Sword of Damocles hanging over them. Hence the unnecessary pressure to buy property which has drawn millions into debt slavery and sowed the seed of the current housing crisis.
Background
Security of tenure is a common feature to European tenant law, and was so in Britain until Margaret Thatcher got rid of this in the late 1980’s. Additionally, her Right-to-buy policies had the added effect of devastating council housing availability for the one group of renters who still had security of tenure, i.e. council tenants (a policy expanded upon by New Labour).
My Story
Last year my landlord went bankrupt when his chemicals business folded, leaving sizable debts. My girlfriend was shocked to find out about this when, without warning, the bank delivered a repossession notice to our property.
“Don’t worry dear” I said, “we’re living in Germany”.
…And I was right, as the bank had no right of evection and repossessed the property while we were still living in it. Effectively nothing changed for us during the whole process and it was a real peace of mind.
I moved to Germany a few years ago to escape the worst of the house price boom, a software engineer effectively becoming an economic refugee.
In Germany I have first hand experience of German tenants upholding their statutory rights and enjoying a significantly better quality of life than their UK counterparts. Only buying property when it suits their personal circumstances, at more affordable levels and taking on less debt. Meaning that in the coming global rescission, at least they will be spared the misery of a domestic house price crash.
Conclusion
While Gordon Brown is spending tax payers money creating measures to help over indebted home owners, such a law would be a big help to British renters and wouldn’t cost the tax payer anything.
So MPs, forget for a moment your own Buy-to-let portfolios and think of the little people who just want a secure home to live in.
Regards
Mark
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I will be reporting on this at my usual haunts on HPC and GHPC.
