There is no doubt that one of the biggest challenges facing
our country is that of housing. We feel this here in Cornwall probably as much
as anywhere else in the country with the ratio of average wages to average
house prices one of the biggest in the country.
I am very encouraged that Theresa May has made tackling this
crisis her top domestic priority. A recent survey showed that 86% of people
aspire to own their own home. We need to do all we can to enable people to
attain to this desire.
In recent weeks we have seen a number of announcements
introducing policies that begin to address this issue. From more money for
social housing, to a new Help to Buy scheme and measures to address service
charges charged by management companies.
This weekend saw further announcements of a consultation on
how the government can make buying a house cheaper, faster and less stressful.
These are all good news and I welcome this renewed focus on housing. As always
we need to see these announcements result in action and changes to legislation
and I will continue to keep a watchful eye as things develop.
There are two issues particularly I would like to see
addressed.
One is that of stamp duty. This tax on house purchases is
often a barrier particularly to first time buyers and those seeking to move up
the property ladder. I would like to see stamp duty abolished completely for
first time buyers. One of the ways we could achieve this is by switching stamp
duty to the house seller rather than the buyer.
I also believe we need to provide greater protection for
those buying new homes. We clearly need to build more houses to meet the
current demand. These need to be in the right locations and with the supporting
infrastructure, jobs and services in place. But we also need to address the
issue of the quality of construction today.
There is a disturbing trend of defects and faults during
construction that is increasing at an alarming rate. Around 30% of those who
purchase new build properties today report that they are dissatisfied with the
level of defects they find.
I have been contacted by a number of local constituents who
have not only faced an unacceptable level of problems with their new homes but
have also failed to get the protection and support from the warranty company.
Most new build houses today are sold with a 10 warranty in
place. The most common of these are provided by the National House Building
Council (NHBC) who have around 80% of the market.
It seems unacceptable to me that consumers today have more
protection when buying a new mobile phone than they do, for what is for most
people the biggest purchase of their life, a new home.
As a result, last week, I was pleased to secure a debate in
Parliament to specifically address this matter.
It is clear to me that the current system of warranty is
failing too many people and needs to be reviewed. Too often there appears to be
a too cosy relationship between the warranty company and the builders. I also
believe we should consider an independent Ombudsman to act in the new build
housing market to hold developers to account for the quality of their work.
With a renewed emphasis on housing it is vital that we
ensure all new houses are of a quality that will mean they will be the family
homes for the future.
