Propertymark has welcomed the recommendations of the Older People’s Housing Taskforce – and says it’s behind many of its most positive proposals.

The UK Government appointed an independent Older People’s Housing Taskforce to look at options for the provision of greater choice, quality and security of housing for older people. 

Propertymark met with the taskforce chair, Professor Julienne Meyer, and responded to the consultation.

Some of the Propertymark proposals that feature in the recommendations include stamp duty reform for last time buyers, which Propertymark argues could free up family sized dwellings should older people wish to downsize. 

Propertymark also wants the Government to offer incentives to developers to build more accessible housing across all tenures with the taskforce recommending a support package, including tax incentives, for developers and operators.

Also included in the report is a recommendation for further regulation of event fees, which Propertymark called for the UK Government to implement a code of practice and disclosure document concerning Event Fees in specialist retirement developments as drafted by the Law Commission in March 2017.

Propertymark has also initiated conversations with leading academics over the feasibility of a rating scheme for homes and communities to assess their age friendliness on a simple scale and has called for Propertymark members to be considered for a pilot scheme.

Commenting, Tim Thomas, Policy and Campaigns Officer at Propertymark, says: “We welcome the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report and are delighted to see that the Taskforce share Propertymark’s policy positions on the need to improve supply across all tenures for older people. 

“This is key as the proportion of people aged 50 to 64 who privately rent has nearly doubled over the past decade.

“Equally, we are pleased to see the Taskforce agree on the value of adopting incentives for last time buyers including stamp duty reform for over 65-year-olds, which we also shared with the Chancellor of the Exchequer in our recent budget representation.

“Propertymark will continue our exciting conversations on the development of a rating scheme to assess the appropriateness of older people’s housing, and we look forward to continuing to engage with officials, Ministers and other stakeholders to ensure there are more housing options for older people and future generations.”