It’s clear that where we live is a key issue for policy makers, especially with unfair reports in the media about students in the community and rents 'pricing families out' of their neighbourhoods. We also know that where we live, our relationships with our neighbours, our housemates and our landlords can have a huge impact on our overall student experience.
On the other side of the election, decisions will be made on whether student housing in certain areas will be restricted, whether students will be encouraged to remain in hall-type accommodation and about how to regulate the ever-increasing cost of rent students are expected to meet. NUS Accommodation Costs Survey highlighted that rents have increased by 22% over the past three years, that's 13% above inflation. Our student support packages have not increased to match this.
Where we live is a key factor in our wellbeing; the decisions made by national and local governments on the other side of the election that affect us as tenants, our housing and our communities will be very significant indeed.
Conservatives
Scrap house-building targets but incentivise building by matching local authorities’ council tax take for each new house for six years; create Local Housing Trusts to develop homes for local people where there is strong community backing (no more than 10% opposition in a local referendum); give social tenants with five years of "good behaviour" a 10% equity stake in their properties; scrap Stamp Duty for first-time buyers on homes up to £250,000; abolish Home Information Packs
Labour
Build 200,000 new houses a year until 2016, then 240,000 a year until 2020; targets imposed by Regional Spatial Strategies decided by Regional Assemblies; establish Local Authority Housing Companies to give councils a greater role in building new affordable housing; continue to enforce Home Information Packs; continue home ownership schemes for people who need help to buy a home; keep stamp duty threshold at £125,000, but abolish it for people in home ownership schemes and scrap it for two years for first time buyers on homes up to £250,000; highlight two-thirds reduction in rough-sleeping and drop in homelessness to lowest levels since 1980s.
Liberal Democrats
Scrap regional house-building targets and allow local authorities to determine how many and what type of homes are needed in their area; build tens of thousands of affordable houses to rent; ensure council houses sold under Right to Buy are replaced; allow local authorities to keep 100% of the capital receipts from Right to Buy sales; create a new system of "Safe Start" mortgages that protect buyers from negative equity; offer "Green Loans" for people to invest in home energy efficiency and micro-renewables.
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