The general election is nearly here, and all the major political parties have now released their manifestos. Of course, we’re particularly interested in what each political party has to say about housing, but there’s a lot to compare and get your head around.
That’s why we’ve done the hard work for you - breaking down the housing policies of the Conservatives, Labour, and the Liberal Democrats so you can easily compare their pledges in each area.
What are the political parties’ policies on housing?
Policy Area | Conservative | Labour | Liberal Democrats |
New Homes | 1.6 million new homes over the next parliament. | 1.5 million new homes over the next parliament. | 380,000 new homes per year. |
Social Housing | Renew Affordable Homes Programme for developers. | Significant increase in social and affordable housing, focusing on social rented homes. | 150,000 new social homes per year, giving local authorities power to end Right to Buy. |
First-time buyers | Stamp duty exemptions; new Help to Buy scheme; mortgage guarantee scheme. | Comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme; first chance for first-time buyers on new-builds. | Rent payments to progressively give social tenants ownership over 30 years via a Rent to Own model. |
Renters | Complete Renters Reform Bill and ban no-fault evictions. | Ban no-fault evictions; extend Awaab’s Law; empower renters to challenge unreasonable rent increases. | Ban no-fault evictions; introduce national register of landlords; set three-year default tenancies. |
Leasehold reform | Cap ground rents at £250 and end the misuse of forfeiture. | Reform the leasehold system, ensuring commonhold becomes the default tenure. | Abolish residential leaseholds and cap ground rents. |
Homelessness | Continue plans to end rough sleeping. | Develop a new cross-government strategy to end homelessness. | End rough sleeping within the next Parliament and scrap the Vagrancy Act. |
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