Parliament to debate rent being added to tenant credit histories after all

It was announced today that adding rental payments to tenant credit histories is to be debated in the House of Commons, signalling a U-turn on the subject by parliament. A debate had been scheduled in March after a petition raised by Plymouth construction worker Jamie Pogson (pictured, below) was signed by 147,307 people, well over the 100,000 required to force a debate in parliament. But the snap General Election on May 5th meant all outstanding petitions were closed and, it was announced, a debate on the subject in parliament kicked into the long grass. The HM Treasury also posted a reply to the petition rejecting the idea, saying “lenders must consider a range of factors when assessing a mortgage application. Meeting rental payments is not sufficient in itself to demonstrate affordability over the lifetime of a ban”. But the newly reformed Petitions Committee headed up by Helen Jones, MP has announced that Jamie’s petition is to be revived and debated on 23rd October. “The Petitions Committee will check and challenge the Government’s responses to petitioners and ensure that petitioners’ voices are taken seriously and valued,” says Helen. “I look forward to working with the new Petitions Committee to ensure that…

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