The property industry has broadly welcomed Michael’s Gove appointment as Housing Secretary after he replaced Robert Jenrick yesterday afternoon.

“We welcome today’s appointment of Michael Gove as the new Secretary of State for Housing. Over the past 18 months housing has been high on the political agenda, with the long term Covid-19 inflicted stamp duty holiday and evictions ban due to close at the end of the month,” Nathan Emerson, Propertymark CEO, said. 

He added: “We look forward to meeting the new Secretary of State and his team over the coming months and hope the Department’s position and policy focus stays on track.”

Meanwhile, Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, responded to confirmation of Gove’s appointment by saying:

“We welcome Michael Gove to his new position and look forward to working with him to ensure the rental market works for responsible landlords and tenants alike.

“Key to this will be addressing the supply crisis in the sector by developing pro-growth policies that recognise the vital contribution it makes to housing millions of people across the country.”

A wide-ranging survey of private landlords across England and Wales, conducted by the NRLA in partnership with research consultancy BVA/BDRC, found that 39% confirmed that demand for homes to rent had increased in the second quarter of 2021 – an 8% increase on the first quarter of the year. The data also revealed that demand has reached a five-year high.

The supply-side pressure looks likely to be one of Gove’s biggest challenges in what will be a complex and wide-ranging housing brief.