Adrian Sanders MP has responded to figures showing rising repossessions by calling for greater protection for tenants in buy-to-let properties.
The Council of Mortgage Lenders has predicted that 75,000 repossessions will take place in the next year and with a high number of residents in Torbay living in private rented properties, action is needed to prevent a homelessness crisis and a significant burden on local social housing.
With Government support for owner-occupiers with mortgages finally growing, Adrian is now calling for similar support to be extended to private tenants.
At the moment tenants can find themselves summarily evicted if their landlord defaults on a mortgage and have no say in court cases.
Adrian is joining bodies Shelter, the Citizens Advice Bureau, Crisis and the Chartered Institute of Housing in calling for amendments to legislation to give judges the right to delay buy-to-let repossessions to allow tenants a reasonable time to find alternative accommodation.
So far the Communities and Local Government Department has committed to look at measures, but the focus so far is on 'influencing lender behaviour.'
Adrian said: "There is already a severe shortage of the right sort of housing in Torbay and the recession will undoubtedly make things worse. So far the Government has not concentrated on the rented sector and it needs to do so fast."
"With the high level of private renting in the Bay, these figures unfortunately show that there will be dozens of these cases in the next year alone. Each one is a family losing a home and anything the Government can do to reduce the damage done must be considered."
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