Tenant Repairs Scheme Risks Opening a Wasteful Black Market Free-For-All

The latest wheeze of our tireless housing minister Grant Shapps is to allow councils to pay tenants for carrying our routine maintenance work on their homes.  This clearly hasn't been fully thought through and there are some major pitfalls in Shapps's proposals. Firstly, the obvious safety and financial risks. What are councils going to do when tenants start injuring themselves carrying out work that they are neither trained nor properly equipped to do. The potential legal and compensation costs do not bear thinking about. Secondly, how will councils or social landlords ensure that work required has been completed to an acceptable standard? If a tenant fixes a leak with some gaffer tape and sends in their bill, the taxpayer will only pay again when the cheap contraption fails a few weeks later.   Thirdly, what position will insurance companies adopt towards these tenant maintained properties? Claims for damage resulting from water leaks and other problems could go through the metaphorical roof. Will insurers refuse to pay out where the government has tasked unskilled people to set about looking after their own maintenance work?  Read more of this opinion piece on the Guardian website.