229.This section amends the Housing Act 1996 to allow the Secretary of State to provide financial assistance to any person in relation to that person’s giving of advice, information or training about any matter relating to residential licences in England. The Secretary of State is able to provide financial assistance to any person in relation to that person’s provision of a dispute resolution service in connection with any matter relating to residential licences in England.
230.The Secretary of State already has power, under section 94 of the Housing Act 1996, to provide financial assistance to a person in relation to that person’s giving of advice, information or training, or their provision of a dispute resolution service, in connection with any matter relating to residential tenancies. However, some people occupy land under arrangements that are not residential tenancies. The purpose of the amendment is to enable the Secretary of State to give financial assistance in relation to residential licences in the same way as for residential tenancies.
231.In particular, this amendment allows financial assistance to be made available where advice is provided in connection with the law concerning mobile homes, where residents usually own their own home but occupy their pitch on a mobile home site under an agreement which is a type of residential licence. Following the changes made by the Mobile Homes Act 2013 the government considers that it is particularly important that there is advice and information available to mobile homes residents and site owners to help them understand how their rights and obligations have changed.
232.The section forms part of the law of England and Wales. However, the amendments made by the section apply to England only. The section comes into force on a day to be appointed by the Secretary of State in a commencement order.