As Shelter chief executive for the last seven years, Polly Neate has seen firsthand the impact the housing crisis has had on the lives of millions of people.

Under her leadership, the charity has successfully campaigned for new laws to improve conditions in social housing, the strengthening of renters’ rights and the prioritisation of building new social homes. On a daily basis, the charity has also helped people facing homelessness and poor housing through its face-to-face advocacy, telephone and online advice services, and legal support. 

As she prepares to step down from the role in March, HQM editor Jon Land caught up with Polly to discuss the highs and lows of the last seven years, the scale of the challenge facing the Labour government and possible solutions to a situation that she says is now “out of control”.

Jon Land: What are your thoughts on the current state of housing in this country?

Polly Neate: The housing emergency is out of control, and this is the product of a severe drought of social housing.  It’s unacceptable that there are 354,000 people homeless in England and over 1.3 million households are stuck on the social housing waiting list, for years on end. Without genuinely secure and affordable social homes more people are having to rely on grossly expensive private rentals and record numbers have been tipped into homelessness as a result.

The government has set ambitious housing targets, but if they are to hit the target of 1.5 million homes by 2029, the only way to do this is to put social housing at the heart of their plans and get councils building again. Building 90,000 social homes a year would not only end homelessness and relieve pressure on private renting, it will pay for itself in just three years and return an impressive £37.8bn to the economy, including through jobs and savings to the NHS and benefits bill.

JL: There’s been a worrying rise in homelessness and temporary accommodation costs are though the roof. What can be done to rectify the situation?

PN: There are 354,000 people homeless in England, and this is the result of a dire shortage of affordable social homes, rising evictions, record high private rents and frozen housing benefit. Thousands of people are struggling to keep hold of their homes or to find somewhere new to live after an eviction.

More and more people are being forced to go to their council for homelessness assistance, but councils are struggling to keep up with the demand. Rather than sinking billions into temporary accommodation every year, the government must use the upcoming spending review to invest in genuinely affordable social homes and support councils so they can start building them.

“There has to be an attitudinal shift in the [social housing] sector. While many social landlords have reflected on their practice and processes, it’s concerning that others deny there’s any problem with staff culture or training”

JL: There’s a focus on housebuilding and reforming the planning system (again). Do you consider these to be the top housing priorities?

PN: The most important goal is to invest in and build social housing. The government has set out a target for overall housebuilding but hasn’t set a social housing target. The only way to get to 300,000 homes a year is for the government to invest in social housing supply. The last time we built those numbers was in the late 1960s when half of the homes were council-built social homes. Speculative private builders cannot and will not build enough homes to drive down the cost of housing, as that would threaten their business model. This means that a social housing target is essential to ensure everyone has the chance of a decent, affordable place to call home.   

JL: How do we ensure both private and social renters live in safe and decent homes? What are your thoughts on Awaab’s Law?

PN: No one’s home should ever put their health or safety at risk. But too often tenants are forced to endure dangerous conditions in homes riddled with damp and mould. We fully agree that every landlord, both private and social, should have clear timelines for dealing with disrepair and tough action should be taken where they fall short. But before Awaab’s Law can be successfully applied to private renting, no-fault evictions must be scrapped so tenants can complain without fear of a retaliatory eviction. The government’s Renters’ Rights Bill, currently making its way through parliament will ban Section-21 no-fault evictions, which is a hugely welcome step. However, the bill must go further and limit in-tenancy rent increases so they are in line with wage growth, to ensure landlords can’t use huge rent hikes as defacto revenge evictions when tenants complain about poor conditions.

“Building 90,000 social homes a year would not only end homelessness and relieve pressure on private renting, it will pay for itself in just three years and return an impressive £37.8bn to the economy, including through jobs and savings to the NHS and benefits bill”

JL: Shelter had a key role to play in shaping the new regulatory regime for social housing. Are you happy with how things are progressing? Are you noticing any significant improvements?

PN: It’s vital that social tenants have the foundation of a decent home. It’s unacceptable that providers of social housing have time and time again failed the people that they are there to serve, with the Grenfell Tower fire and the death of Awaab Ishak demonstrating the lethal consequences of ignoring tenants. This cannot be allowed to happen again. The last government made important steps: after several long years of campaigning from Grenfell United, alongside Shelter, to finally pass the Social Housing Regulation Act; and to pass Awaab’s Law requiring landlords to fix reported health hazards within reasonable timeframes.

However, there’s still progress to be made. Firstly, we have to boost funding for social housebuilding, so that providers can focus rental income on existing stock. With these passed regulations it’s important to make sure they are implemented properly so that when a tenant has an issue, they know it will be sorted quickly.

Most importantly there has to be an attitudinal shift in the sector. While many social landlords have reflected on their practice and processes, it’s concerning that others deny there’s any problem with staff culture or training. To make progress on this, social tenants must be given a national voice to influence government policy at all levels. It’s not uncommon to hear some social landlords claim these rules – which are really about the enforcement of basic safety standards – are ‘new burdens’.  The provision of a safe and decent home is a fundamental part of being a landlord and should never have been ignored.

“It’s unacceptable that providers of social housing have time and time again failed the people that they are there to serve, with the Grenfell Tower fire and the death of Awaab Ishak demonstrating the lethal consequences of ignoring tenants. This cannot be allowed to happen again”

JL: Do you welcome the new general approval approach to landlord licensing in the PRS? What sort of an impact do you think it will have?

PN: Selective licensing has proven very effective in many areas in improving housing quality and ensuring repairs are made. Selective licencing schemes are important tools at the local authorities’ disposal to ensure certain standards are met and to ensure laws are being followed. The real prize will lie with a full national landlord register that contains details about the properties they let out and the state of repair, as well as details of rent levels. Councils must be able to access the register and also have the funding to proactively enforce standards – for example, by carrying out regular inspections. This will enhance the effectiveness of selective licensing, as these schemes can be hamstrung by a lack of information about the health of the local private renting stock. Selective licensing working in tandem with a detailed landlord register would improve the efficiency and effectiveness of these schemes.   

JL: As you step away from Shelter, what achievements are you most proud of?

PN: I’m most proud of the fact that Shelter is now an organisation that is all about change. We’re not just here to pick up the pieces of the catastrophic damage the housing emergency causes in people’s lives, we’re here to work with them to survive, thrive and challenge the system failures that deny their right to a safe home. We do that with individuals and families, in communities, and nationally by campaigning for major shifts in government policy and public opinion. We’ve put social housing on the political and public agenda in a way that’s unrecognisable compared with seven years ago. After six years of campaigning alongside Grenfell United we saw the Social Housing (Regulation) Act become law. And we’re about to see a once in a generation reform of private renting as the Renters’ Rights Bill completes its journey through parliament. These aren’t my achievements – I’m beyond proud of the colleagues who have made all this happen.

“We fully agree that every landlord, both private and social, should have clear timelines for dealing with disrepair and tough action should be taken where they fall short. But before Awaab’s Law can be successfully applied to private renting, no-fault evictions must be scrapped so tenants can complain without fear of a retaliatory eviction”

JL: What’s next for Polly Neate?

PN: I want to help leaders to identify and make the change they want to see, whether in their organisations or in the world around them, and support them to see that change through with coaching, mentoring and strategic support. I hope this will be my core business. I also have some specific projects in the planning stages.