Tax Changes Put More Pressure On Buy-To-Let Landlords

On 6 April, buy-to-let landlords will begin to feel the direct effects of the next tightening of taxation of the sector. From that date, tax relief on landlords’ mortgage costs will be restricted to the basic rate of income tax. And, over the next three years, the proportion of their borrowing costs that landlords can offset against tax will taper down to zero. On top of this, landlords are affected by new rules restricting other deductible expenses that they incur from renting property, including reforms limiting tax relief for wear and tear in fully furnished properties. The government has published guidance and a series of worked case studies to help landlords understand how the changes will affect them. Read more on the CML website.

TPAS: Pay to Stay Is 'Aspiration Tax'

The government’s Pay to Stay policy is an “unfair tax on aspiration”, TPAS has said. The Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS), along with campaign group Social Housing Under Threat (SHOUT), has published case studies which it believes shows the policy has negative impacts.  The paper says the government’s plans to increase rents up to market rent for social tenants with incomes of £30,000 or more (£40,000 in London) will hit people who are not well off and cause hardship. TPAS and SHOUT also argue the policy will increase welfare dependency and be difficult to administer. The policy is compulsory for councils but voluntary for associations. Download a copy of the document from the TPAS website.

Gold Standard Award For Tackling And Preventing Homelessness

The Royal Borough of Greenwich has become the first council to achieve the Government’s Gold Standard award for tackling and preventing homelessness. The Council has achieved all 10 of the Gold Standard challenges including taking action against rogue landlords, preventing residents from becoming homeless and reducing the need for temporary accommodation. Last year the local authority prevented 1,800 households from becoming homeless through their casework and support while its welfare reform team prevented 225 families from becoming homeless and has supported 229 into work. Read more on the Housing Excellence website.

Enough Available Brownfield Land to Build 226,000 Houses By 2019

Following proposals from both Labour and Conservative parties to deliver housing on UK brownfield land, RICS has published research suggesting there is enough brownfield land available in England to build 226,000 houses by 2019. The report Making More Brownfield Land Available for Housing uses Nottingham as a representative case study of major cities in England outside of London. Through a detailed analysis of 30 brownfield sites, it reveals six constraints which impact upon housing development and delivery. The six recommendations

1.       Make pre-planning application meetings obligatory

2.       Allocate adequate resource for the Town and Country Planning System

3.       Create Developer packs for Large and/or Sensitive Development Sites

4.       Restrict the use of S106

5.       Streamline the bid application process

6.       Make the process of match funding easier

Download a copy of the report from the RICS website.

The Impact of Welfare Reforms on Tenants

The National Housing Federation has published its report into how tenants have prepared for, and reacted to, the UK Government's welfare reforms. The Federation found the majority of working age social housing tenants are not prepared for the roll out of Universal Credit. The report includes ten case studies, by Ipsos Mori, that provide real-life stories of the thought processes and experiences of tenants who have lived through changes to the welfare system. The in-depth interviews suggest that the welfare reforms have impacted on tenants both financially and emotionally. Download the report from the NHF website.

Market Rent Case Study: Derwent Living

There is an increasing number of social landlords which are now beginning to build up portfolios of properties for let at full market rents. However, although this is a rapidly expanding area of work, it is not entirely new. A few social landlords have been letting properties on this basis for a number of years.  Derwent Living is one such landlord, so what can be learnt from them?  Read more of this case study on the CIH website.

Forum Comes Together To Battle Tenancy Fraud

A new forum has been established to fight social housing tenancy fraud in Somerset. With over 16,000 people on the housing register in the region, those falsely claiming a property or renting it unlawfully are making it even harder for families in need to find a home. The Somerset Tenancy Fraud Forum will meet on a quarterly basis to discuss case studies, best practice, understand new legislation and initiatives, and support one another. It is hoped the public will now get behind a campaign launched by the forum, and understand the importance in working together to combat fraud, which costs every adult in the UK £1,460 a year. Read more on 24dash.

The Customer Contact Centre Experience 2013

Better business performance

24 October, London

In these challenging times, having an effective and high-performing customer contact centre can be the defining service which will:

*drive customer excellence

*improve customer satisfaction and reduce complaints

*deliver business efficiencies

*create new commercial opportunities

This event will bring together the very best in public and private sector case studies and the latest technological developments that can help transform the way your service is delivered. In addition delegates will get feedback on the latest performance data on how the best are meeting customer needs.

Find more information about this event on the HouseMark website.

Focus On the Victim

Greater knowledge of social housing powers and more partnership working could improve the effectiveness of police handling of anti-social behaviour cases, a report has found.  During 2011, the Home Office worked with eight police force areas to trial a new approach to handling antisocial behaviour calls from the public and then manage their cases.  The aim was to improve the ability of forces to identify victims most at risk and to respond appropriately with their local partners. The trials represent a 'bottom-up' effort to shift practitioners' focus to protecting victims and communities, rather than just logging types of antisocial behaviour.  Reports from the participating police forces can be downloaded from the Home Office website.

ARCH Demonstrates the Benefits of Building New Council Homes

The Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH) has launched a report showcasing the achievements of local authorities in building new homes and putting the business case for further investment. The report Firm Foundations: The holistic benefits of house-building by stock retained councils puts the case for building new council homes. The report includes case studies demonstrating the achievements of ARCH member authorities in building to high standards within tight deadlines required by the Homes and Communities Agency’s Local Authority New Build fund. It shows the value for money provided by council building and the wider social and environmental benefits of stock retained authorities being direct providers of new homes. Download a copy of the report from the ARCH website.

Improving Housing Outcomes for Young People: Practical Ideas

Young people are increasingly squeezed out of the housing market and face a more drawn-out process of moving towards independent living. Affordable housing in the private and social rented sectors is in short supply and buying a home is out of the reach of many young people. A number of initiatives aim to improve this situation. This Joseph Rowntree Foundation paper:
* presents 27 practical examples drawn from the housing sector which seek to improve housing outcomes for young people;
* focuses on detailed work in Northamptonshire, but draws on case studies from across the UK; and
* shares ideas for possible replication.
Download a copy of the paper from the JRF website.

Bungalow Conversions Provide Sleep Over Room

Like many councils, Hull had high turn over and vacancy levels for one bedroom bungalows for the over-55s. On the other hand, with the drive to help people live independently for longer, the city couldn’t meet demand for two-bedroom bungalows. This problem was having a detrimental effect on the sustainability of some communities and an adverse effect on the council’s rent account. At the suggestion of the Hull tenants’ Empty Homes Service Improvement Group, minor adaptations to the one bedroom bungalows involving converting a redundant drying cupboard resulted in creating a sleep-over room. Although smaller than a conventional bedroom, the sleep-over room does exactly as it says – provides a sleep over room for a carer, visiting relative or for one of a couple should they need to sleep in a separate room. Read more on the HouseMark website.

The Code for Sustainable Homes: Case Studies

It takes approximately 18 months to design and build a home, therefore it is only now that Code Homes have been completed since the policies inception in 2007. This publication sets out a number of detailed case studies on actual Code Homes. The case studies show the different ways of achieving various levels of the Code and also highlights potential pit-falls for developers. Click on the CLG logo below to find the download to the Case Study and look out for the link to the second volume of Case Studies in the Related Documents section on the same page.