Council Seeks Legal Advice on HMO Licenses

Newcastle council may have incorrectly issued licenses for houses in multiple occupation and is consulting its legal team over whether recent judgements will mean landlords are entitled to refunds. The National Landlords’ Association claims that a recent case in the High Court means that councils have wrongly charged landlords for HMO licenses in some instances. Newcastle is the latest council to say it is seeking advice on whether it is affected. Read more on Inside Housing.

Third Of All Newcastle Households Hit By Bedroom Tax and Welfare Reforms

A least one third of Newcastle's households have been hit by the coalition's raft of welfare reforms that came in last April, an ALMO's research has revealed.  In particular, the controversial bedroom tax has had a significant impact on the city's social housing tenants. Your Homes Newcastle, the ALMO that runs Newcastle City Council's housing stock, says that 4,703 of its tenants have been affected by the bedroom tax.  Recent figures show that 60% of those affected by the bedroom tax in the city are now in arrears.  The advent of the tax has seen the number of empty two and three-bed flats tripling from 47 in February last year to 142 in February this year, as more and more tenants are forced out of larger properties. Read more on 24dash.

Over 200,000 Homes in England at Risk

1 in every 105 households in England is at risk of repossession or eviction, according to new statistics released by Shelter. The research found hotspots up and down the country where the risk of losing your home is even higher. These include Nottingham and Luton, both with 1 in 60 homes at risk, Salford (where 1 in 61 homes are at risk), and Newcastle upon Tyne and Wolverhampton (both with 1 in 63 homes at risk). The research also highlights the extent of the capital’s housing crisis, with London boroughs – where there is a serious lack of affordable housing – dominating the top twenty. Shelter’s research found that the London borough of Newham has the highest risk of repossession or eviction in the country, with as many as 1 in every 35 homes at risk. Read more on the Shelter website.

Bedroom Tax Leaves Properties Standing Empty

Cuts to housing benefit designed to drive tenants out of large homes have led to streets with scores of empty properties across the North East, MPs have claimed.  South Shields MP Emma Lewell-Buck said tenants were refusing to move in to larger homes because they feared they would have to pay extra costs if their circumstances changed.  She said: “We are already seeing streets with scores of empty properties. The number of such properties is likely to rise and rise, while the former residents are becoming homeless or moving to the expensive private sector - moves that will increase the housing benefit bill further, and further stretch public finances.” Read more on the Newcastle Journal website.

Council Selling Sheltered Housing Land

A local authority is selling off the land under sheltered housing in the city as part of a £40 million asset sale aimed at bolstering its budget. The sell-off from Newcastle council includes the ‘reversionary interests’ of three sheltered housing schemes. Purchasers of such interests take over the freehold of land when existing leases expire. Mark Lloyd, head of strategic property at Newcastle, said current leaseholders were getting first dibs on the sheltered housing asset sales. ‘We always approach the leaseholder to see if they want to buy’.  Read more on Inside Housing.

3,200 People Fighting For Just 45 Homes in One City

More than 3,000 people in one city are waiting for just 45 homes in a bid to avoid the ConDem’s ‘Bedroom Tax’, shock new figures have revealed. Critics say the statistics highlight the charade of the Government commitment to free up living space for larger families. Desperate to move, residents in Newcastle upon Tyne are being asked to leave their homes, but have nowhere to go, and so have been forced to pay up. Housing chiefs admit they have nowhere near enough single bedroom homes available for them. Up to 3,232 people are on the waiting list for a one-bedroom property in the city with only 45 homes available, the equivalent of 72 people for each property. Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

Homeless Households 'Off the Radar' Of Public Services

Homeless households are being sent out of London to bed and breakfast hotels as far away as Newcastle, Manchester and Leeds without the councils they are moving to knowing that they are there, a Guardian investigation can reveal. Councillors and housing campaigners warn that the failure to inform receiving boroughs of the new arrivals could put vulnerable families at "urgent risk".  Last year, 580 homeless households were sent out of London into temporary accommodation, according to research by the housing charity Shelter. Newham council, in east London, has been sending homeless households to the Bailey hotel in Birmingham since last year, possibly longer. But a Birmingham city council spokesman says it has no knowledge of these households and has received nothing from Newham. He describes these families as "completely off the radar" of public services.  Read more on the Guardian website.

Chief Executive Leaves HCA

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) chief executive Pat Ritchie has today announced that she will be leaving the Agency to take up the role of chief executive at Newcastle City Council.  She will leave the HCA at the end of January.  Read more on the HCA website.

Council Backs ALMO Opposition to Rent Rise

Newcastle Council has confirmed it is backing moves by its ALMO to oppose sharp rent increases for its tenants. At a council meeting members endorsed a letter sent to the CLG protesting about the 8.2 per cent rise faced by tenants in 2012/13. Newcastle feels rise is too high, but that the potential loss of income prevents it from setting a lower rate. The debt Newcastle is set to take on as a result of the reform of the housing revenue account subsidy system has been increased by £42 million to reflect the rent rise, so setting a lower rent could leave it out of pocket. Read more on the Newcastle on Tyne website.