Flood Insurance Cover Does Not Protect Thousands Of New Homes

Tens of thousands of families who bought new homes in flood-risk areas are facing “crippling” financial costs, as they are ineligible for cover under a government-backed insurance scheme. Research by the liberal conservative thinktank Bright Blue found that 70,000 homes had been built on land at the highest risk of flooding in England since 2009, including 20,000 that were not protected by flood defences. Homes built after 1 January 2009 are not eligible for insurance under Flood Re, a government scheme launched in 2015 with the aim that about 350,000 homeowners would have access to affordable cover. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/21/new-homes-in-flood-risk-areas-not-covered-by-insurance-scheme

59% Of Existing EU Construction Workers ‘Would Be Ineligible’

59% of current EU migrants in the construction sector would have been found ineligible under new government immigration plans. The new system will only allow those who gain enough points through skills and qualifications to be granted a visa. The think tank IPPR has analysed government data to estimate the share of EU migrant workers in the UK who would be deemed eligible for a skilled work visa under the proposed system. The research found that in total, around 69% of EU migrants currently working in the UK would be ineligible for a skilled work visa if the future immigration rules were to apply to them. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/59-of-existing-eu-construction-workers-would-be-illegible/

Start Preparing For Voluntary Right To Buy

Here are five tips on how to get your business ready for Voluntary Right to Buy.

1. Be clear where VRTB sits in your business

2. Map your processes - You’ll need to understand your processes and identify gaps. You can then put in place the systems, teams and people you’ll need to deliver VRTB.

3. Bring the business together - VRTB is very different than Preserved Right To Buy, it touches people across the business, including asset management, housing, customer contact teams and so on.

4. Getting the product to market - The customer experience is straightforward – like they’d expect from a bank or utility.

5. Managing expectations - Residents will be disappointed if they’re ineligible either because of their tenancy or their home is exempt.

Read more on the NHF website.

Enfield Tears Up Rules in Radical Attempt to Ease Housing Problem

Pushed into a corner by soaring prices, greedy landlords and a cap on benefits, one London council has embarked on a daring set of untested policies to provide more public housing.  Read all about how Enfield Council has developed a range of options – including buying houses which would not be eligible for Right to Buy - in an attempt to counteract the ruinous costs of homelessness, on the Guardian website.