The General Election: What Each Party Intends to do With Property

Published: 18/06/2024 By Amanda Hunt

With the General Election approaching fast, we can't help but wonder what each party intends to do with the housing and property market. Zoopla have kindly provided a table summary below with the 3 big party manifesto's! But the key pointers are:

  • All three parties pledge to ban no-fault evictions for renters
  • All three parties pledge to reform or end the leasehold system
  • All three parties pledge to build at least 1.5 million new homes over the next parliament


Policy AreaConservativeLabourLiberal 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.