2. The context
East Devon District Council has a role within the local housing market as
- a landlord of over 4200 properties
- a regulator of standards within the private rented and owner occupier sectors
- the planning authority with a duty to bring forward more homes including more affordable homes
- the provider of a housing options service to help those who are homeless or threatened with homelessness
Key conditions[1] within the housing market influence standards and provision
- house prices are high (the average house price for the district being £270,982) and continuing to rise
- annual earnings are low (£23,171)
- within the South West as a whole households would need an annual pay rise of more than £30,000 to afford an average home
- private rents are also high (average monthly private sector rents almost £700)
- there are insufficient new homes being built
- there are a high number of second homes in the district