| The Homes and Communities Agency | Section 50 introduces Schedule 5 which amends the New Towns Act 1981 and transfers Welsh functions of the Commission for the New Towns to the Welsh Ministers. |
| Section 51 makes provision for the transfer of any residual assets of the Commission for the New Towns in Wales to the Welsh Ministers. |
| Sustainability certificates | Sections 279 - 293 provide for the introduction of sustainability rating for new homes in England and Wales. Powers are to be exercised by the Secretary of State in relation to England and by Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales. |
| Tenant empowerment | Section 295 extends the list of matters that might be included in regulations imposing requirements on a local housing authority to enter into a management agreement with a tenant management organisation by amending the existing regulation making power in section 27AB of the Housing Act 1985. Powers are to be exercised by the Secretary of State in relation to England and by Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales. |
| Section 296 enables regulations to be made requiring a local housing authority to take forward a proposal for the transfer of the ownership of part of its social housing stock if requested to do so by tenants of those homes. The detailed provision will be set out in regulations made by the Secretary of State in relation to England and by Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales. |
| Family intervention tenancies | Sections 297 and 298 will enable local housing authorities and registered providers of social housing in England and registered social landlords in Wales to offer tenancies which will not be secure or assured tenancies to certain tenants who have lost or are potentially at risk of losing their secure or assured tenancy. These tenancies will be offered for the purposes of providing behavioural support services to tenants against whom a possession order for anti-social behaviour has been made or to tenants who could face possession proceedings on the grounds of anti-social behaviour. The provisions contain regulation making powers that will be exercised by the Secretary of State in relation to England and by Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales. The provisions will also be commenced separately for England and Wales by orders made by the Secretary of State and Welsh Ministers respectively. |
| Possession orders relating to certain tenancies | Section 299 introduces Schedule 11 which includes eight delegated powers in relation to tolerated trespassers to be exercised by the Secretary of State in relation to England and by the Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales. |
| Leasehold enfranchisement | Section 300 removes the low rent test in both England and Wales as a means of determining eligibility for enfranchisement (acquisition of the freehold) in relation to shared ownership houses. |
| Sections 301 and 302 enable the Secretary of State in relation to England and the Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales to make separate regulations designating protected areas and to prescribe additional conditions to be included in shared ownership leases. |
| Service charges: provision of information and designated accounts | Section 303 introduces Schedule 12 which makes changes to the requirements in the 1985 and 1987 Landlord and Tenant Acts about the information landlords will be required to supply to service charge payers and how service charges monies are held. The provisions contain regulation making powers that will be exercised by the Secretary of State in relation to England and by Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales. The provisions will also be commenced separately for England and Wales by orders made by the Secretary of State and Welsh Ministers respectively. |
| Right to buy etc: miscellaneous | Section 308 extends the scope of an existing power to make regulations regarding loans in respect of service charges on former right to buy flats and other housing authority flats. Powers are to be exercised by the Secretary of State in relation to England and by Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales. |
| Section 309 gives the appropriate national authority power to make regulations providing that a housing authority may purchase an equitable interest in a leasehold property of which it is a landlord. The power will be exercised by the Secretary of State in relation to England and by Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales. |
| Disposals of dwelling-houses by local authorities | Section 311 and Schedule 14 remove the requirement that local authorities must apply to the appropriate national body annually to be included in a large scale disposals programme for a particular financial year while enabling the appropriate national body to still consider the exchequer costs of any large scale disposals, by repealing section 135 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993, and making consequential amendments to the Housing Act 1985, Housing Act 1988 and Housing Act 1996. The appropriate national body is the Secretary of State in relation to England and the Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales. |
| Financial assistance for information and other services | Section 312 widens the existing power contained in section 94 of the Housing Act 1996 for the Secretary of State in England and the Welsh Ministers in Wales to provide financial assistance for the giving of general advice in respect of residential landlord and tenant law, including advice about estate management schemes in connection with enfranchisement, information and training and running an alternative dispute resolution service. Powers are to be exercised by the Secretary of State in relation to England and by Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales. |
| Housing Revenue Account subsidy | Section 313 disapplies sections 79 to 80A of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 where an agreement exists between the appropriate person and a local housing authority. Such an agreement would have the effect that no Housing Revenue Account Subsidy was payable by or to the appropriate person in respect of properties covered by the agreement. The appropriate person is the Secretary of State in relation to England and Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales. Powers are to be exercised by the Secretary of State in relation to England and by Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales. |
| Armed forces: alteration of “local connection” test | Section 315 amends section 199 of the Housing Act 1996, which sets out the circumstances when a person has a local connection with the district of a local housing authority. The provision will be commenced separately by the Secretary of State in relation to England and by Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales. |
| Protected mobile home sites to include sites for gypsies and travellers | Section 318 will be commenced separately by orders made by the Secretary of State in relation to England and by Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales. |
| Part 4 – Supplementary and final provisions | Sections 321 and 322 confer certain order-making powers on the Welsh Ministers in connection with supplementary, incidental, consequential, transitional, transitory or saving provisions. |
