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If the government wants to tackle racial inequality it must act from the top
The government’s race disparity audit presents some basic facts about ethnic minorities and their position in the housing market. But incredibly, it says almost nothing about why the “disparities” with white British people occur. For example, the problem of discrimination is mentioned only once in the report, and then in relation to jobs. You can…
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Good news for the sector but what will the rent settlement’s impact be?
The announcement that social rents will rise one per cent ahead of inflation for five years from 2020 has been widely welcomed. The most important aspect of the announcement is the timescale – a five-year settlement, with no further cuts in rents, offers the stability in their incomes that landlords need to plan their investment,…
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Housing in Europe: How does Ireland compare?
Europe has become a continent of owner-occupiers. That might be the conclusion from looking at the article in this year’s UK Housing Review on the state of housing in Europe. But the real picture is more complex, revealing some interesting comparisons between Ireland and its EU neighbours. Whereas some time ago both Ireland and the…
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The worst journey in the Americas
A review of The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail by Óscar Martínez Living in Nicaragua, I regularly meet people who have migrated or want to migrate to neighbouring countries. I’ve also met people who take their chances going to Spain without a visa (including one who claimed to be…
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The election result may have more to do with housing than we think
Housing is often ‘the dog that doesn’t bark’ in elections but last week could it have been nipping away in the background? One of the most striking pieces of analysis of how Britain voted came from the Financial Times, which showed how pro-Conservative or pro-Labour voters were divided by age group. Those in their middle…
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Five myths about migrants and housing
What do you know about migrants and where they live? Here are five things often said about migrants’ housing rights that are untrue or only partially true. Get the facts here. Migrants have a right to social housing New migrants from outside the EU aren’t eligible for social housing except in very limited circumstances (e.g….
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Government plans to extend ‘right to rent’ document checks face legal challenge
For several months the Home Office has been considering extending to the rest of the UK the document checks that are now compulsory when a new letting takes place in England. Since February last year, English landlords (with exceptions like lettings by councils and through nominations to housing associations) have had to make document checks…
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Focusing on the ‘JAMs’
Few of the Government’s current investment initiatives address the housing affordability issues faced by the ‘just about managing’, but there are measures that could be taken without extra spending. Rather unusually, and surely for the first time in several years, a government housing policy statement has been welcomed by the industry and by most lobbyists….