The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) is leading a new project to consider whether intermediate rental can help the housing sector to offer a wider range of products and rents, which will better meet varied household incomes and aspirations.

A discussion paper on the future of intermediate rent from CIH, in partnership with L&Q, has launched. Future directions for intermediate renting highlights the need to develop a housing offer for the 'inbetweens' - a group of people who struggle to meet their needs with ownership, shared ownership, social rent or private rent. It argues that in the current economy it is unlikely that those providers of existing housing options will be able to supply products to meet their needs in the near future, and that housing associations may be able to develop new approaches to provide new housing options which do meet the needs of this group.

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Conversations and debates within the sector based on the paper will support production of a final policy paper in early July 2010. The policy paper will address whether current providers of social housing - with their considerable expertise in developing and managing rented and intermediate products - can be in a position to help meet need and demand for intermediate rent. It will also consider whether intermediate rented housing, currently in a very embryonic form in the sector, has potential to initiate moves towards a stronger approach to affordable housing which better meet the immediate and longer term needs of a wider range of households.

Abigail Davies, Head of Policy at CIH, said: "CIH has long argued for a more fluid and dynamic affordable rented sector; where renting is a tenure of choice, with more customer focus and flexibility in the tenancies available, and better links to housing and financial advice which support achievement of tenants’ aspirations over the longer term. We believe a strategic new approach to intermediate rental may offer a way to move towards such a system."

(CD/GK)