Quality Of Social Housing ‘Scandalously Poor’, Says Gove

Speaking at a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference Mr Gove hinted at the possibility of new incentives for social landlords to improve their stock. He told delegates “The quality of social housing, particularly in some parts of the country, remains scandalously poor. That there are people who are living in conditions which are overcrowded, there are people living in conditions affected by damp and other factors.” He remarked that “we do need to look at the condition of social housing, and the way in which we can make sure that there is a proper incentivisation for those who are social housing providers both to improve stock and to increase numbers”. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/quality-of-social-housing-scandalously-poor-says-gove-72749?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60 

Social Landlords Fear For Tenants Amid Energy Price Surges

Social housing providers and sector bodies have urged the government to reconsider the cuts to Universal Credit and step up support to tenants who could face the stark choice between heating their homes or eating, due to soaring energy prices. Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng warned that some households face a “very difficult winter”. But prime minister Boris Johnson played down the issue, saying that the energy price surges were a “short-term” issue and that people should not worry about putting food on the table. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/social-landlords-fear-for-tenants-amid-energy-price-surges-72619?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60 

Ombudsman Investigating Five Social Landlords Over Failure To Deal With Complaints

The Housing Ombudsman has found five social landlords that are in breach of its new complaint-handling code, with the watchdog currently investigating the providers. In a new quarterly report, the ombudsman revealed that 23 complaint-handling failure orders had been issued between April and June. However, while in 17 of these cases, the landlords complied, there were six cases of non-compliance by five landlords. Among those that were found to be non-compliant were two councils, Greenwich Council and Lambeth Council, and three housing associations, A2Dominion, Housing for Women and Abri. Read the report on the Housing Ombudsman website.

https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Complaint-handling-failure-orders-April-to-June-2021.pdf 

Nearly Half Of All Social Sector Building Safety Fund Claims Rejected

Nearly half of all claims made by social housing landlords to secure grant funding from the government’s multibillion-pound Building Safety Fund have been rejected, new government figures reveal. Of the 73 claims that have been reviewed by the government’s building safety team, only 39 have been accepted, and 34 have been found to be ineligible for funding. Social landlords, which include housing associations and councils, have made 175 claims, with 73 reviewed. A further 94 eligible claims have been lodged but are subject to review. Nine social housing landlords had withdrawn their applications. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/nearly-half-of-all-social-sector-building-safety-fund-claims-rejected-71197 

Affordable Housing Commission Calls For £1.3bn Fund To Convert Private Homes To Social Housing

 Housing leaders are calling on the government to establish a £1.3bn ‘national housing conversion fund’ to enable social landlords to buy up private housing amid warnings of a housing market downturn. The Affordable Housing Commission said that such a fund could deliver 42,500 new affordable homes and 9,300 new jobs. It argued the fund could mitigate an anticipated downturn in the housing market and would be a cost-effective way to help tenants and increase the provision of social housing. Similar schemes have been introduced during past recessions, for example in the early 1990s through the Conservative government’s Housing Market Package. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/affordable-housing-commission-calls-for-13bn-fund-to-convert-private-homes-to-social-housing-67985#:~:text=Policy-,Affordable%20Housing%20Commission%20calls%20for%20%C2%A31.3bn%20fund,private%20homes%20to%20social%20housing&text=Housing%20leaders%20are%20calling%20on,of%20a%20housing%20market%20downturn

Social Landlords Are Eligible For The New Green Homes Grant Scheme

More detail on the £2bn Green Home Grants scheme has been published, confirming that social landlords are eligible to bid for funding. The scheme provides funding to support home energy efficiency improvements. As a minimum, improvements must include measures that improve insulation and/or deliver low carbon heating, such as the installation of heat pumps or solar thermal. Homeowners, including private and social landlords, can apply for two thirds of the cost of improvements with grants capped at £5,000. Low income households qualify for grants worth up to £10,000 to support energy efficiency upgrades. Some funding has been set aside for local authorities. Read more on the NHF website.

https://www.housing.org.uk/news-and-blogs/news/social-landlords-eligible-for-green-homes-grant-scheme/ 

Social Landlords Should Buy From ‘Over-Stretched’ Private Landlords

Social landlords should be supported to buy up homes from “overstretched” private landlords, the Affordable Housing Commission (AHC) has said. In an open letter Lord Richard Best, chair of the AHC, called for more investment in social housing to stimulate the economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Housing associations and councils should be helped to build more, acquire unsold new builds and “buy from over-stretched buy-to-let landlords exiting the market”, he wrote. The National Residential Landlords Association has claimed that many private landlords will be forced to leave the market in the face of a five-month eviction ban imposed to protect renters during the coronavirus crisis. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/social-landlords-should-buy-from-over-stretched-private-landlords-says-affordable-housing-commission-66970

Government Warned Limits On Building Safety Fund Will Reduce Social Housing New Build

Social landlords will be forced to reduce planned development and maintenance spend if they are not allowed to reclaim their full cladding remediation costs from the new £1bn Building Safety Fund, the government has been warned. The Greater London Authority, the NHF and the Labour Party have all called for increased access to the pot for social landlords, following the publication of a prospectus setting out its remit. Under the current rules, social landlords will not be permitted to bid for the full cost of cladding works, only for the funding they would have billed private leaseholders through service charges. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/government-warned-limits-on-building-safety-fund-will-reduce-social-housing-new-build-66579?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Social Landlords ‘Face £10bn Bill To Fix Fire Safety Problems’

Social landlords have warned they are facing a bill of more than £10bn to fix fire safety problems after the Grenfell Tower disaster and that much-needed affordable housebuilding is in jeopardy unless the government funds a bailout. The cost is at least 25 times greater than the £400m budgeted for so far by ministers for housing associations to remove Grenfell-style cladding. It emerged as pressure grows on Downing Street to sanction a separate bailout of private leaseholders estimated at more than £2bn, with hundreds of thousands of homeowners unable to sell or mortgage their homes. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/mar/02/social-landlords-face-10bn-bill-to-fix-fire-safety-problems

Survey Shows ‘Clear Desire’ For Resident Involvement In Service Delivery

With no ‘silver bullet’ solution, a new survey from HouseMark offers ammunition for providers aiming to keep service delivery relevant. The survey shares the findings of sector-wide STAR (Survey of Tenants and Residents) research with input from more than 250 social landlords. “Capturing the customer voice to improve ways of working and shape services is essential. “The scale of response from across the sector demonstrates the huge interest and enthusiasm from landlords to engage with residents to improve their services,” said HouseMark Chief Executive Laurice Ponting. Download survey results from the HouseMark website.

https://www.housemark.co.uk/media/2472/1414101_star_brochure_a5_8pp_final.pdf

Social Landlords Face Huge Admin Burden Over Universal Credit Issue

Social landlords have warned they face a huge administrative burden next year unless the government implements reforms to the way rent changes for tenants claiming Universal Credit are processed. Major housing associations could incur extra costs and see resources diverted from mitigating the impacts of Universal Credit, unless the government makes swift changes to the way rent changes are recorded, and allows them to update information in bulk. The DWP told housing associations in February that it would enable them to record rent cost changes in bulk on behalf of tenants claiming the new benefit system from April, but these changes were never put in place. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/home/home/social-landlords-face-huge-admin-burden-over-universal-credit-issue-62638

Providers And Tenants Short-Changed Over UC

An exchange of correspondence with the Secretary of State of Work and Pensions, councils and other housing bodies has exposed the short-changing of claimants and social landlords alike by the way DWP calculates Universal Credit (UC) payments and awards. With 52 weeks and one day in a ‘common’ year, and 52 weeks and two days in a leap year, claimants are underpaid by one or two days each year accordingly. The resultant misunderstanding and confusion cover a serious issue for housing associations and councils already struggling to fulfil legal duties and obligations to their residents. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/providers-and-tenants-short-changed-over-universal-credit-with-dwp-unable-to-count-days-in-a-year/

Regulator: Sector League Tables Within Two Years And Will Include Councils

League tables for social landlords could come into effect within two years and would compare housing associations, councils, ALMOs and for-profit providers equally, the regulator has said. Asked if he thought league tables or an alternative system could be introduced in 18 months to two years’ time, Jonathan Walters, deputy director of strategy and performance at the RSH, said: “I think that is probably about right.” And he suggested league tables would be “cross domain”, applying to all organisations which are currently subject to the RSH’s standard. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/regulator-sector-league-tables-within-two-years-and-will-include-councils-58572?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Council Trials Free Internet For Social Housing Tenants

Social housing tenants at two Leeds tower blocks have been connected to free broadband as part of efforts to combat digital exclusion. The initiative is part of the council’s 100% Digital Leeds programme aimed at improving digital inclusion and bringing positive outcomes including financial savings, reduced isolation, better employment prospects and improved health and wellbeing. The council estimates 25 per cent of its 57,000 social housing residences don’t have permanent access to the internet. With those wishing to claim Universal Credit unable to do so without being online, the council is making it a priority to help get its residents connected. Read more on the Yorkshire Evening Post website.

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:LGRnPFF4UJcJ:https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/leeds-city-council-trials-free-internet-for-social-housing-tenants-1-9342536+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&safe=vss

Social Landlords Call For Clarity On Cladding Safety

Social landlords have called for “greater clarity” over whether Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) panels on tower blocks could be safe despite failing the government’s combustibility test. The government said its independent expert fire safety panel will consider “early next week” whether ACM panels can be used safely as part of a wider external wall system “and therefore could remain on a building under certain approved circumstances”. Grenfell Tower was believed to have ACM panels with a polyethylene core. A number of landlords have already torn down cladding from their tower blocks after it failed the government’s combustibility test. Read more on Inside Housing.

Call To Cut Cost Of Evictions

Government figures show 19,601 tenants were evicted by UK social landlords over 2016 – over 1,600 a month. The figures, from the Ministry of Justice, confirm that in England and Wales alone, 79,000 claims for possession were lodged with the courts, with 60% of which were from the social sector. In court fees alone, this resulted in a spend of £28m. With homelessness acceptances in England increasing to 59,250 last year one of the UK’s leading housing and support services companies says the approach of social landlords to sanctions against tenants can play a pivotal role in prevention – while at the same time significantly reducing spiralling escalation and possession costs. Read more on 24housing.

Charities Call On Associations To Provide Housing First Accommodation

A homelessness charity has called on social landlords to provide homes for Housing First programmes across the country. Currently only 50% of Housing First projects have access to social housing, according to Homeless Link. Homeless Link has published guidance for social landlords on the purpose of Housing First and how it can benefit landlords. Housing First gives permanent housing to rough sleepers with complex support needs before tackling any problems they may have, such as addiction or mental health issues. Read more on Inside Housing.

Manchester Providers Offer To Pilot Alternative To LHA Cap

Social landlords in Greater Manchester have offered to run a regional pilot of an alternative to the controversial ‘Local Housing Allowance (LHA) cap’ in supported housing. Supported and sheltered housing providers fear government plans to cap benefit entitlement at LHA rates from 2019 could make their businesses unviable. LHA rates are set according to the lowest 30% of local market rents, making them well below the rental cost of supported housing. Under current proposals, councils would be given cash to top up the difference but providers have voiced concerns that this system would lead to uncertainty with new schemes under development on hold as a result. Read more on Inside Housing.

Regulator Warns Housing Associations On Value For Money

Housing associations must improve their performance on value for money evidence, or the regulator will step in, the housing sector has been warned. Fiona MacGregor, executive director of regulation at the HCA, told the Homes 2016 event that the regulator remained ‘very strongly interested’ in value for money and called on social landlords to provide a common framework against which to measure their performance. She said: ‘We are very keen that the housing sector comes up with its own value for money metrics. If it doesn’t though, we will take a look ourselves.’ MacGregor added that she remained ‘concerned’ on the transparency of value for money statements by housing providers and said that many were still ‘weak’. Read more on the Homes Event website.

Sales Of Social Housing Increase By 8%

English social landlords sold nearly 22,000 homes in 2015/16, an increase of 8% on the previous year. The latest figures from the CLG say landlords sold 21,992 social properties in 2015/16, with the majority of the increase in sales driven by housing associations. This makes up 0.5% of the four million social housing stock. Housing associations sold 9,435 properties, an 18% increase on 2014/15 whereas councils sold 12,557 properties, a 1% increase. Download the figures from the GovUK website.