Dear Department for Communities and Local Government,

The Department issued a Guide in 2009 entitled “Tackling unlawful subletting and occupancy: Good Practice Guide for social landlords”.

Please could you give details of the current policy on second homes owned by secure council tenants. Please state whether secure council tenants who own second homes have a duty to inform their local authority of this, and/or whether the local authority has a duty to undertake checks to establish this. Are council tenants who benefit in this way expected to pay a higher rent for their council home? If any council tenants who own a second home currently pay a reduced level of rent on their council property for any reason, do they continue to enjoy the entitlement of such a reduced level of rent, if they derive an income from a second home?

What is the current policy on rent restructuring for local authority landlords?

Yours faithfully,

P. Clarke

Dear Graham Knapper,

Ref: F0006449 / Council Tenants with Second Homes

Thank you for your reply, which covers the policy regarding new social housing tenancies. The report I referred to deals with policies in respect of existing social housing tenants. The reply I received from your department a year ago stated that second homes acquired by existing council tenants during their tenancy were not something your department is concerned about. The department is merely concerned about subletting.

Please could you let me know what the current departmental policy is in respect of existing council tenants who have acquired a second home during their tenancy in social housing, several years after they first became tenants in social housing, and have secure status as a social housing tenant.

Yours sincerely,

P Clarke

Dear Graham Knapper,
Please could you let me have a response to the clarifying supplementary query. Your letter did not address this point.

Yours sincerely,

P Clarke