Social landlords urged to allow childminders to work from rented homes

Housing associations, social landlords and developers across England are being urged by the government to allow childminders to work from their rented homes.

The children and families minister, Claire Coutinho, says the initiative will help boost childminding numbers and expand childcare options for parents.

She has now written to social landlords saying they should offer more support for childminders since many of them frequently encounter contractual clauses that restrict their ability to provide childcare services within their home.

These limitations create, she adds, an uneven playing field between those who own their homes and those who lease or rent their properties.

‘Accessible childcare in a home-like environment’

Ms Coutinho said: “We have outstanding, high-quality childminders, offering flexible and accessible childcare in a home-like environment.

“Too often prospective childminders are having the door slammed in their faces because they face a blanket ban on working from home.

“However, parents tell us time and again how much they value the flexibility and quality that childminders bring so we are making sure that we are supporting the workforce to deliver what parents need.”

She added: “To do this in the best possible way, we are addressing the challenges childminders face including loneliness, where they work, long registration times and local authority pay timetables.

“Through our support of the sector, we will deliver the flexible care that parents need.”

Landlords are not to blame for the country’s childminding crisis

However, while the call to help childminders doesn’t specify private sector landlords, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) says that landlords are not to blame for the country’s childminding crisis.

Its chief executive, Ben Beadle, said: “No landlord wants to stand in the way of the provision of childcare, but the Government must recognise that housing providers are not the issue.

“The Government’s encouragement to landlords to ‘be open-minded’ is no doubt well-meaning but fails entirely to acknowledge the very real issues facing the childcare industry or the legitimate concerns of housing providers.”

He added: “Mortgage lenders and insurers need to be more flexible in enabling landlords to allow childminders to operate from the properties they let.

“Tenancy deposits must also be allowed to reflect the greater risk of damage to properties being used for childminding.

“We will continue to work with the Government on the difficulties and barriers landlords face in enabling tenants to become childminders but refuse to accept the blame for systemic issues in another industry.”

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