Taking Renting Seriously: Reflections on the Law Commission's Housing Reform Programme

Abstract

This paper offers a reflection on the work of the Law Commission for England and Wales, specifically on its major housing law reform programme. The paper provides a brief introduction to the Law Commission; gives some background to the decision to review housing law; considers in more detail the housing law reform programme; says something about the procedural and other innovations the housing reform team brought to the Commission's work; and, finally, offers some personal thoughts on what has been achieved and what should now be done with our work. The paper starts by setting the work in its social and policy context, outlining the contribution that the renting of residential accommodation currently makes to the delivery of housing policy.