Council Seeking To Charge Leaseholders Up To £217,000 Each For Repair Works

Thanet District Council’s cabinet has agreed to tender a £2.8m contract for repairs – which it describes as “essential structural works” – at two buildings it owns on Ramsgate’s historic Royal Crescent. The council-owned buildings are divided into flats, with 12 tenanted and 10 leasehold homes, with the leasehold homes having been sold under the Right to Buy. Leaseholders in one block are facing bills of between £94,000 and £164,000 each, while in the other the proposed costs range between as much as £177,000 and £217,000. Read more on Inside Housing.

Inside Housing - News - Council seeking to charge leaseholders up to £217,000 each for repair works

Hundreds Of Thousands Put Up With Unsafe Homes For Fear Of Eviction

A quarter of a million people are living in shoddy and unsafe homes without complaint for fear of being evicted, a new study has revealed. Research by Citizens Advice shows more than one-in-four private tenants who have experienced problems in England had not told their landlord in case they were hit with higher rents or notice to move. Repairs and maintenance were the most commons issues reported, including mould, electrical faults and pest infestations. Read more on the Huffington Post website.

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/hundreds-of-thousands-put-up-with-unsafe-homes-for-fear-of-eviction-new-study-reveals_uk_5ad3349ee4b016a07e9d4e75

KCTMO Left Thousands Of Repairs Undone

Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) – which manages Kensington and Chelsea Council’s housing stock, including the Lancaster West Estate where Grenfell Tower is located – is due to hand back its responsibilities by the end of January. An officer’s report shows KCTMO has built up a huge number of uncompleted repairs. The papers also reveal Kensington and Chelsea Council is beginning a programme of fire risk assessments of other towers, seven months on from the devastating blaze, which killed 71. It is aware of less serious fire safety issues in other blocks. Download the paper from the Kensington & Chelsea website.

https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/committees/Document.ashx?czJKcaeAi5tUFL1DTL2UE4zNRBcoShgo=R6xqrijFYBoLpFPJB1scGRB%2fQagbRlMEwrfaNejjjDoLBBj8OZL3AQ%3d%3d&rUzwRPf%2bZ3zd4E7Ikn8Lyw%3d%3d=pwRE6AGJFLDNlh225F5QMaQWCtPHwdhUfCZ%2fLUQzgA2uL5jNRG4jdQ%3d%3d&mCTIbCubSFfXsDGW9IXnlg%3d%3d=hFflUdN3100%3d&kCx1AnS9%2fpWZQ40DXFvdEw%3d%3d=hFflUdN3100%3d&uJovDxwdjMPoYv%2bAJvYtyA%3d%3d=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&FgPlIEJYlotS%2bYGoBi5olA%3d%3d=NHdURQburHA%3d&d9Qjj0ag1Pd993jsyOJqFvmyB7X0CSQK=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&WGewmoAfeNR9xqBux0r1Q8Za60lavYmz=ctNJFf55vVA%3d&WGewmoAfeNQ16B2MHuCpMRKZMwaG1PaO=ctNJFf55vVA%3d

Rent Cut Pushes Associations To Slash Repairs

The largest reduction in costs for housing associations over the year was in major repairs, on which providers spent £2.1bn in the financial year – 14% less than in 2016, when they spent £2.4bn. Management costs, meanwhile, fell from £2.8bn to £2.6bn. This is twice as big as the decrease in major repairs spending that Inside Housing found at the start of the year in an exclusive survey. The HCA’s Global Accounts report said this was “to compensate for the rent reduction”, though it also forecasted that major repairs spend would increase again over the next few years. Download the report from the HCA website.

Confidence In New Builds Falls

The country has not built enough homes for decades. As a result, existing homes must house more people and last for much longer, which has led to the country spending nearly as much on the repair and maintenance of existing homes as it does building new ones. But analysis reveals that one in 10 new home buyers are dissatisfied with the quality of their new home and one in six would not recommend their house builder to a friend. The research, carried out for the LGA, also reveals most local areas have more homes built before 1930 then from any other period of time, demonstrating the age of much of England’s housing stock. Read more on the LGA website.

UK Sees Rise In New Housing Despite Fall In Overall Construction Output

New housing experienced solid growth in March, up 3.8% on the month, despite a 0.7% drop in wider UK construction output, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show. In spite of the wider slowdown in the construction sector in March, which was the third consecutive period of negative month-on-month growth, residential property building levels rose by 5.4% on the year and 0.2% on the quarter. The ONS said repair and maintenance was the main drag on construction output, shrinking both month-on-month and quarter-on-quarter by 1.8% and 0.2%, respectively. Read more on the ONS website.

MP Slams New Scheme Aimed At Helping Slum Landlords

A new scheme designed to assist landlords with housing repairs has been slammed by a local MP. Writing in his column in the Peterborough Telegraph, Stewart Jackson MP took aim at Peterborough City Council’s initiative to deal with so-called slum landlords. The scheme plans to assist these landlords with housing repairs using £1.2m of public money from the capital budget. In his article, Jackson wrote: ‘Yes – these are landlords currently collecting rents for tenants already living in their substandard or dangerous properties – but who apparently cannot afford to repair and maintain their own properties properly or meet the appropriate regulatory and licensing arrangements.’ Mr Jackson said he thought it was a disgrace that landlords expect the taxpayer to foot the bill for these improvements. Read more on the Landlord News website.

Associations Slash Spend On Major Repairs As Rent Cut Bites

Housing associations in England slashed spend on major repairs work to their estates as the government enforced its policy of cutting social rents. An survey by Inside Housing reveals that associations cut expenditure on major repairs by 7.3% to £386m in 2015/16. In July of that year the government announced its decision to cut rents by 1% a year for the next four years. The survey reveals that associations’ planned maintenance expenditure also dropped by 1.6% to £630m. John Kiely, director of housing and public sector at Savills, says he thought the fall in expenditure “is all down to the rent reduction”. Read more on Inside Housing.

Unexpected Rental Costs Leave Tenants Out Of Pocket

A disgruntled minority of private tenants say they are being left out-of-pocket after being hit by unexpected costs not covered by their landlord, while almost half were surprised by yearly increases in rent, according to a survey by insurance provider Endsleigh. The survey of over 2,000 tenants found 14% of tenants had been caught out by unexpected costs not covered by the landlord, for example boiler repairs, flood damage, and property maintenance, with the average cost person per year coming to £165.41. Almost three-quarters (70%) of them said they did not agree with the reasons for the charges given by their landlords.  Read more on the Housing Excellence website.

Council Launches Letting Agency For Private Renters

A London council has launched a letting agency for private renters, in a move it said would protect tenants from “the scourge of rip-off fees and charges”. Haringey council in north London said its online agency, Move 51⁰ North, was the first in the UK to offer private tenants an alternative to mainstream letting agents. Haringey council’s agency will charge tenants a fee of £180 to cover administration and £72 for credit checks. There are no renewal fees if they continue their tenancy beyond the original contract period. Landlords will be offered lettings and management services at the market rate, and access to the council’s maintenance services for repairs. None have yet signed up. Read more on the Haringey Council website.

Private Rented Housing: Repairs and Maintenance – Parliamentary Written Answer

Greg Mulholland:  To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on empowering tenants in the private rented sector to ensure landlords carry out reasonable repairs.

Brandon Lewis: On 1 February 2016 we issued a new Model Tenancy Agreement and updated our How to Rent Guide which makes clear landlord responsibilities in terms of carrying out repairs. The vast majority of landlords in the private rented sector provide good quality and well managed accommodation. We know that 84% of private renters are satisfied with their accommodation, and stay in their homes for an average of 3 and a half years. If a tenant feels that the property they are renting is unsafe, and the landlord fails to get the necessary repairs done, they should contact their local authority which has powers, under the Housing Act 2004, to assess the risks and hazards.

Landlords Plan Repairs Cuts

Three quarters of landlords are planning changes to their maintenance services, with half of these planning to cut planned repairs in the face of government cuts, a survey has found. More than 40 landlords owning a total of 400,000 homes answered a survey by Build Recruitment and Housingnet, revealing they are considering a significant shake-up of repairs in light of changes such as the 1% rent cut. A fifth said they are planning redundancies in their repairs section, while a fifth were also planning to bring repairs in-house. Two-thirds of the respondents to the survey were housing associations, almost a fifth were local authorities and the rest include ALMOs and a housing co-op. Read more on the Build website.

Association First To Receive Drone Permission

Walsall Housing Group (WHG) has become the first housing association in the country to secure permission from the Civil Aviation Authority to use drones in order to inspect properties. WHG was approved by watchdog the CAA on 10 June as a commercial operator of unmanned vehicles weighing less than 7kg. The group claims using drones could save it around £20,000 a year by allowing it to inspect roofs without erecting scaffolding. Kate Fitzsimons, director of new business at WHG, said the group was training up “a number of colleagues” to qualify as Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) pilots. However, another social landlord, Bromford Group, has ruled out using drones for maintenance inspection after admitting using ladders to check properties would be more cost effective. Read more on Inside Housing.

Arrears Cause Most Stress to UK Residential Landlords

The majority of landlords in the UK find managing their properties stressful with arrears causing the most worry, new research has found.  They are having to deal with complex issues such as new regulations, rent arrears, and tax as well as the everyday issues of repairs, insurance and void periods. The research reveals that rent arrears causes the most stress, cited by 87% of respondents while 80% said dealing with tenant complaints was the main stress, followed by 43 for repairs to properties, 40% the new immigration laws and 28% securing finance to expand their buy to let portfolios. A quarter of landlords cited tax and inland revenue as a major reason for getting worried and anxious, while a third said it is void periods.  Read more on the Property Wire website.

Sector-Wide Tenant Satisfaction 'Remains High'

Tenant satisfaction has remained consistent year-on-year, with 86% of housing association customers happy with their overall service. Data from Housemark, which provides benchmarking information to the sector, showed the figure has remained static between 2012/13 and 2013/14. It found repairs and maintenance services were the biggest influencing factor on overall satisfaction across the sector. The next biggest influencer is listening and responding to tenants’ views, closely followed by the value for money of rent and the quality of homes, according to the survey. The data showed 79% of tenants were satisfied with repairs, while 80% were satisfied rent offered value for money.  Read more on HouseMark.

Private Renters’ Rights Are Stuck In the Dark Ages

Tenants are more likely to get their money back when they buy a dodgy toaster than they are from a landlord if their home is dangerously uninhabitable, according to a damning new report. In its Renting Uncovered report, Citizens Advice is calling for renters to be given the legal right to money back if the property they are living in is structurally unsound, has unsafe wiring or is riddled with damp or mould. Currently there are statutory obligations on a landlord to repair a fundamental fault in a rented property, but a landlord can evict the tenant if they pursue these rights to repair.  Read more on the Citizens Advice website.

25% of PRS Tenants Have Waited a Week for Repairs

Nearly a quarter of people living in the private rented sector have been left waiting at least a week for broken down central heating, blocked drains or leaking pipes to be fixed, new research has revealed. And the slow response to repairs has seen a quarter of a million tenants withholding rents as a result. Read more on 24dash.

Rising Number of Landlords Ignoring Repair Requests

A growing number of landlords in the UK are ignoring tenants’ request for repairs and the threat of eviction is stopping some tenants from contacting their landlord or agent to fix a problem, it is claimed. According to the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) recent research shows despite the urgent nature of many repairs, only 31% of tenant requests were dealt with even in the same day while 23% took more than a week. Also, some 34% have faced a home emergency in the past 12 months, with boiler faults and other central heating problems the most common. A quarter of a million private tenants a year are taking matters into their own hands and withholding rent from their landlords because of delays resolving emergencies repairs. Read more on the Property Wire website.

Council Turns To Private Sector Landlords to Solve Housing Crisis

A council has appealed to private rented sector landlords to offer homes for families on its waiting list. Designed to tackle the local housing crisis, South Northamptonshire Council has launched a Private Sector Leasing scheme which will pay participating landlords their rent in advance and quarterly at the Local Housing Allowance rate for up to two years. Minor repairs, plus gas and electricity safety checks, would also be carried out by the council and the property would be returned to the landlord in its original condition subject to fair wear and tear. The property will be managed by the council's housing specialists and the agreement can be extended after two years at the consent of both parties. Read more on 24dash.

Council to Consider Homesteading Scheme for Empty Homes

Durham County Council is considering plans to offer long-term empty homes for sale at discounted prices. It has developed the ‘homesteading’ scheme, which will see two and three-bedroom homes for sale from as little as £18,000, in partnership with local housing providers. Members of the authority’s cabinet will be asked to agree to give the plans the go-ahead when they meet next week. If approved, the scheme would be introduced on a pilot basis, with 14 council-owned homes being offered for sale. The initiative could also see buyers offered an interest-free loan of up to £15,000 to carry out repairs and improvements. Read more on the Housing Excellence website.