To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 18 of her Department’s response to the Rugg Review Consultation, what existing powers would be used to take over the management of the housing stock of a landlord removed from the register. (277021)

The proposals in the Government’s response to the widely welcomed Rugg Review of the private rented sector are at a high level and still subject to consultation. Powers already exist under part 4 of the Housing Act 2004 for local authorities to make management orders which enable them to take over the management of certain privately rented properties where they consider that the private landlords of those properties are failing in their management duty. If our proposals for a national register for landlords and linked systems of complaint and redress were to be implemented, one option by which enforcement could be carried out would be to make use of the current powers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) two bedroom, (b) three bedroom and (c) four or more bedroom (i) housing association properties and (ii) local authority properties have a single occupant. (277702)

Estimates of the number of social sector properties with a single occupant with two, three and four or more bedrooms are provided in the following table. These estimates are based on data from the Survey of English Housing.

Reliable separate estimates for housing association and local authority tenants are not available from the survey.