Government Brands Housing Conditions ‘Unacceptable’ After ITV Documentary

 The documentary Surviving Squalor: Britain’s Housing Shame revealed the disturbing conditions some social housing tenants have been exposed to, and showed homes owned and managed by a number of councils, as well as housing associations including L&Q and Clarion. The conditions included leaks which led to near-fatal ceiling collapses, rodent infestations, persistent and chronic mould and fungus – in some cases within the homes of tenants who have breathing difficulties. An MHCLG spokesperson said: “It is completely unacceptable for people to be living in the unsafe homes we have seen in this investigation and we are committed to doing all we can to support tenants.” Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/government-brands-squalid-housing-conditions-unacceptable-after-itv-documentary-72494

Barking Fire: Social Tenants Told To Return Despite Safety Fears

Social housing residents of a block of flats in east London that was recently engulfed in flames say they are being forced to move back despite safety fears. All residents at Samuel Garside House in Barking were evacuated after a fire on 9 June. About 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines were dispatched to deal with the blaze. The majority of residents were put in hotel accommodation, while others were rehomed in temporary accommodation. The landlord for social tenants, Southern Housing Group, has now informed residents that they will no longer receive financial support to stay in alternative accommodation and must return to their flats. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/aug/13/samuel-garside-residents-move-back-despite-fire-safety-fears

Homeowners 42 Times More Wealthy Than Social Housing Tenants

Austerity policies implemented over the past decade have intensified the gap between those living in social housing and those in other tenures. Six in 10 social tenants are in the bottom 10% of the wealth spectrum, with many seeing a fall in wealth in recent years, while the wealth of the richest homeowners has soared. Less than one in five social tenants have any savings, compared to two-thirds of homeowners and one-third of private renters. Social tenants who do have savings have far less than households in other tenures. Three-quarters of social tenants are ranked in the bottom 40% of the national income spectrum, with almost half placed in the poorest 20%. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/homeowners-42-times-more-wealthy-than-social-housing-tenants-inequality-report-finds-61946?utm_source=Ocean%20Media%20Group&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=10651857_iH-daily-19.6.19-%20CB

DWP Concedes To Issue With Calculating UC For Social Tenants

In a letter to landlords, the DWP has conceded to an issue with the way Universal Credit (UC) is calculated for social housing tenants – and confirmed changes are being considered over the 53-week rent year. The DWP has recognised there is an issue with regards to the way the calculation in the UC regulations converts a weekly liability into a monthly allowance. The conversion is achieved by multiplying the weekly rent by 52 and then dividing by 12. This effectively means one day’s rent a year (two days in a leap years) is not covered by UC. The DWP is now considering whether this formulation should be amended. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/dwp-concedes-to-issue-with-calculating-universal-credit-for-social-tenants/

Social Rented Housing: Consultation Papers – Parliamentary Written Answer

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 10 of his Green Paper: a new deal for social housing, Cm 9671, which states that Ministers in his Department met and talked with almost 1,000 residents of social housing at events across England, if he will publish his Department’s analysis of the views that those residents expressed to ensure that Members are aware of the concerns that their constituents raised.

Kit Malthouse: The Green Paper ‘A new deal for social housing’ reflects the views of residents that Ministers met during 14 listening events and a further 7,000 people sending their views online. The key messages from residents are set out in the Green Paper: that we must ensure homes are safe and decent; provide swift and effective resolution of disputes; empower residents to ensure their voices are hear and strengthen the regulatory framework; tackle the stigma faced by residents; and deliver the affordable homes this country needs. The Green Paper is currently out for public consultation, closing on 6 November 2018, and Ministers are holding a further 8 events around the country to engage with social housing residents directly.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-10-08/175850

Housing ‘Shake-Up’ Could Save £3bn On The Welfare Budget

A housing shake-up that could knock £3bn off the welfare budget rewards housing associations that turn tenant lives around. Citing social housing tenants as “four times more likely” to be unemployed than private renters, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) is calling on associations to extend skills training – with big falls in rent arrears as an incentive. The Government is already giving the idea serious consideration given its potential to save some £3bn on the welfare budget. CSJ says that with housing associations, with their “established personal relationships” with tenants – are best placed to support individuals facing barriers to work, the report argues. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/housing-shake-up-could-save-3bn-on-the-welfare-budget/

'Devastated' Social Housing Tenants Who Could Be Kicked Out Of Their Homes

Social housing tenants in Cambridge have been left devastated after plans were revealed to redevelop the land they live on - as the city’s affordable housing reaches “critical” levels. Montreal Square, located just off Mill Road and just over a mile from Cambridge city centre, currently has 18 houses on the cul-de-sac – but housing bosses want to increase that to 32. The Cambridge Housing Society (CHS) has revealed they are “exploring the possibility” of increasing the number of affordable homes on Montreal Square – an area where the need for affordable housing is “critical”. Read more on the Cambridge News website.

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/montreal-square-housing-association-cambridge-14247320

Some Right To Buy Owners Now ‘Property Millionaires’

Research shows hundreds of ex-council tenants had the opportunity to become millionaires – at least, those buying at the right time in London had that opportunity. Figures show that the average amount paid for a home in the capital in 1996 was £79,000 but that by 2016 it had soared to almost £489,000. And social housing tenants could receive a discount back then on their purchase depending on how long they had lived in the property – up to 60% for house and 70% for a flat. In a Clarendon Place, Westminster – a three-bedroom flat was bought for £180,000 in 1995 and is still owned by the same person. Similar properties in the block have sold recently for £2.25m and £1.8m. Read more on 24housing.

CLG Urged To Back New National Tenant Voice

Taroe Trust, CCH, NFTMO and Tpas met at the CIH Housing Conference to make the call for a single national tenant voice in a letter to CLG – shared with a long list of stakeholders. All four agree that work now being done to ensure the safety of social housing tenants demonstrates the need for a ‘coherent, legitimate and empowered’ voice for tenants, so that they can communicate directly with government and other agencies about a wide range of issues. The letter cites the proposals of professor Martin Cave – in his report Every Tenant Matters released 10 years ago – that a single voice should enable tenants to be heard in government. Read more on 24housing.

Decline In Living Standards For Social Housing Tenants

A third of social housing tenants have seen their standard of living decline in recent years as above-inflation increases have hit food, fuel and transport, a report by the Human City Institute (HCI) has concluded. The thinktank surveyed 6,500 social housing tenants across England and nearly a third (31%) said their standard of living had worsened in the past two years. Meanwhile 49% said there had been no change and 20% reported improvement. Download the report from the HCI website.

Over 1,000 Social Housing Tenants Evicted In London

Over 1,000 social housing tenants in London were evicted from local authority properties last year. In 2015-16 local authorities reported to government that 6,430 evictions were carried out by court bailiffs, a decrease of 5% compared to 2014-15. This relates to a stock of around 1.61 million dwellings. In information gained from Freedom of Information requests by 24housing, the scale of the problem does not stop with the eviction figures. Over 5,600 social housing tenants sought advice from their London council – with some authorities not collecting the data at all. Read more n 24housing.

Top Architect Blasts 'Free-Riding' Tenants Living In Council Houses In Central London

A top London architect has called for “free-riding” council tenants to be moved out of central London and for affordable housing to be abolished. In a hugely controversial speech Patrik Schumacher, director and principal of Zaha Hadid Architects, also praised London’s foreign second home owners “even if they’re here only for a few weeks” and suggested that “80 per cent of Hyde Park” should be built over.  In his incendiary address to the World Architecture Festival in Berlin he said London’s housing crisis was the result of “intellectually bankrupt” planning departments and said only the free market can provide “housing for everyone.” He said that social housing tenants in gentrifying inner city areas should not expect to be able to carry on living in central London when their council estates are demolished and should be replaced by more “productive” residents - such as his own staff. Read more on the Evening Standard website.

Social Housing Tenants Forced To Cut Back On Food And Heating

A damning new survey of ‘Quids in!’ readers reveals ongoing financial hardship among social housing tenants, as money worries leave some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in our society “hungry and cold”. The survey provides a snapshot into how Tory austerity has impacted on social housing tenants  over the last five years. It found that among working age tenants not in full-time employment, 44% skipped meals over the last year, while more than half (51%) were forced to turn off heating despite feeling cold. The survey also shows how money worries can have a detrimental impact on health and well-being, with 58% of those surveyed feeling frightened, anxious or depressed. Read more on Welfare Weekly.

Council Rents Could More Than Double

Tenants in social housing looking to upgrade to a new home as part of the Slough Borough Council’s £40m investment could have to fork out more than double in rental costs. The council will invest £40m in building new properties for social rent. But the amount tenants pay for these properties is set to sky rocket, as the council says it has to generate its own funding for affordable rental homes as there is no national funding available and the ‘Pay to Stay’ policy means that prices will rise anyway. Councillor Rob Anderson said: “For someone who has a two-bed house and has been on the waiting list for 10 years for a three-bed home, their rent will rise from £474.80 a month to £1,061.19. Nobody on a low income is going to be able to afford that.” Read more on the Slough Observer.

46% Of Social Tenants Prefer To Stay In Sector

A greater proportion of tenants would rather still be in social housing in 10 years time than move into owner-occupation, a report has found. A poll, of a weighted sample of 1,998 adults carried out by Yougov, shows 46% of social housing tenants would ‘most like’ to still be living in social housing in 10 years time if “things go as well as they might expect”, compared to 39% who have aspirations to become owner-occupiers. The figures contrast with private renters, among whom a much larger proportion want to move into homeownership. The figures showed 80% of the public would most like to be in owner-occupation in 10 years time. Download the report from the CML website.

Social Rented Housing: Housing Benefit – Parliamentary Written Answer

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people above pensionable age and living in general needs accommodation who will be deemed to be under-occupying their home and will have their housing benefit reduced in accordance with their household size as opposed to their property size as a result of the cap on housing benefit for social housing tenants to the Local Housing Allowance Rate; and what the average loss incurred by this group of people will be.

Caroline Nokes: This measure will be introduced in April 2018, where new tenancies have been taken out or existing tenancies renewed from 1 April 2016 (or 1 April 2017 for supported housing). Full impact and equality impact assessments will be undertaken in due course.

NHF Campaigns Against Housing Benefit Cap Threat

Thousands of vulnerable people living in supported housing in the North of England are at risk of losing their homes because of a proposed cap on Housing Benefit that will leave them short on their rent. Rents are typically higher for such homes compared to general needs properties because of the specialist support that is provided for residents, but the Government proposes to limit the amount of Housing Benefit social tenants can claim to bring it in line with the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) paid to tenants in the private sector. In Yorkshire and Humber, there are more than 34,000 living in this type of housing, more than half of whom are older people. The estimated £68 a week shortfall in Housing Benefit would mean that vulnerable residents need to find an extra £3,500 a year to cover their rent. Read more on the Housing Excellence website.

LGA Calls On Government To Rethink Pay To Stay Policy

The Local Government Association is urging ministers to rethink the Pay to Stay policy. It comes as new analysis reveals that more than 70,000 social housing tenants could face rent rises averaging £1,000 a year under the policy. The LGA is warning the policy would create a bureaucracy causing stress to families, further costs to councils, and financial returns to the Government far lower than it originally forecast. It is also warning administrative complexities now make implementation from April 2017 impossible. Councils need to invest millions in new IT systems, hire new staff and write to more than a million social housing tenants to try and understand household income and approve individual tenant bills by January.  Read more on the LGA website.

790 Applications Under Right To Buy Pilot

Just 1.6% of households in the Right to Buy pilot schemes have made an application to buy their social home. 790 applications have been received by the five landlords operating the pilot. This is well down on the 7% take-up rate projected by academics at Sheffield Hallam University in February and the estimate of 20% made by a committee of MPs in October. The eligibility criteria for the pilot scheme requires tenants to have lived in social housing for 10 years. Many homes, including those built through Section 106 planning obligations were excluded from the pilot. In the main scheme many of these tenants will be granted a portable discount. Read more on Inside Housing.

Social Tenants Who Claim Benefits Are Worried About Future Welfare Changes

Worryingly, over two-thirds (69%) of claimants living in social housing said they would feel more stressed about their financial situation if their benefits were to be cut or reduced, whilst nearly two in three (63%) fear they would have to cut back on food. Furthermore, almost three-fifths (58%) are concerned they may get into debt. Claimants also expressed uncertainty over Universal Credit. Over two-fifths (41%) said they feel unsure about this new benefit because of negative stories they’ve heard in the media.  Research further demonstrates how crucial welfare support is for those on lower incomes, with 88% of social tenants saying it has had a positive financial impact. Read more on Housingnet.