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In the mid-1940s, tens of thousands of homeless and inadequately housed people squatted in Britain, representing a significant episode in social – and housing – history. In sheer numbers, at least,...

This report builds on detailed analysis of the lessons from the pilot programme for the Voluntary Right to Buy (VRTB). The introduction of the right to buy (RTB) for eligible tenants in specified housing association dwellings was a manifesto commitment by the Conservative party for the 2015 general election. In October 2015, the government accepted a proposal by the National Housing Federation (NHF) on behalf of its members to deliver this commitment by way of voluntary agreement rather than legislation. The VRTB pilot scheme was set up by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) the following month.\ud \ud The research team was commissioned in January 2016 by the National Housing Federation (NHF) and the five pilot housing associations to investigate the programme using an action learning approach. Findings from this research were published in January 2017. These findings were published before the end of the pilot programme. The overwhelming majority of the purchases from the pilot housing associations have now completed. This short follow-up report provides an update on the progress of the pilot during its final months.

This report outlines the findings from a survey of landlords and lettings agents, exploring their experiences with, and perceptions of letting to under-35 year olds.

Housing costs in the south east of England are unaffordable for millennials, even in social housing. And the Shared Accommodation Rate could cause severe hardship for single 16–34 year olds claiming Housing Benefit.\ud \ud The housing aspirations identified during the research were tempered by realism, and younger people recognised the importance of increased earnings. However, most were pessimistic about the prospects of improving their housing situation.\ud \ud In terms of developing viable housing offers to meet this group’s needs, housing associations are hampered by the nature of the homes they own; the procedures and protocols they share with their local authority partners in relation to allocating and managing those homes; and the impending risk of the Shared Accommodation Rate, which could make tenancies unsustainable.

The research on which this report is based was carried out by the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) at Sheffield Hallam University. It was commissioned by Crisis in response to concerns that single homeless people are finding it difficult to access the private rented\ud sector, at a time when there is increased reliance on the sector to meet housing need. Changes introduced through the Localism Act 2011 in England, for example, allowed local\ud authorities to discharge their homelessness duty into the private rented sector (PRS) and gave them greater power to determine who qualifies for social housing. The consequence\ud is restricted access to social housing. In the meantime, however, the Government has introduced a raft of measures affecting the private rented sector, particularly at\ud the low cost end of the market, focused mainly but not exclusively on changes to Housing Benefit (HB). The concern is that the combined effect of policy changes in the social and private housing markets - alongside wider tenure restructuring and market change - will leave many homeless\ud people unable to resolve their housing problems. This study sought to unpick some of these issues, by exploring landlord views and lettings practices on the one hand, and\ud prospective (homeless) tenants’ experiences of trying to access the sector on the other. It also explored views and experiences of private rented access schemes - schemes\ud that seek to provide better

At the end of 2015 Flagship Group commissioned the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) at Sheffield Hallam University to assess the affordability of its housing products. The research was commissioned as it became clear that a number of external changes were likely to affect the context in which Flagship operated as well as the affordability of its housing products. These include:\ud Welfare reform: since their election in May 2015, the Conservative Government have outlined a range of additional welfare reforms that are likely to affect the incomes of many Housing Association tenants. These include the extension of the overall benefit cap, freezes on various working age benefits and the continued roll out of Universal Credit Housing policy: the Housing and Planning Act (2016) outlined a number of changes to housing policy including the introduction of ‘pay to stay’ for social renters on higher incomes. The Act also provides funding for the extension of the Right to Buy to Housing\ud Association tenants Governance and role of Housing Associations: the government is reassessing the\ud governance of Housing Associations through a review of the Homes and Communities Agency. These changes provide both opportunities and challenges for Housing Associations\ud as they assess their future roles The objectives of the research were to: Understand what rent affordability means and how it impacts on customers Identify how affordability differs by geography and key tenant characteristics\ud Understand the impact that imminent welfare and other wider changes will have on affordability. This report provides detailed analysis of the key findings from the research. A summary analysis can be found here www.flagship-group.co.uk/research.

This report is one of a series of outputs from the independent evaluation of a programme of projects demonstrating the direct payment of Housing Benefit to social renting tenants in Great Britain. It highlights the key findings of a study into underpayment (that is, the partial payment of rent), which emerged as being a major issue in the first year of the programme.