Posts with tag: housing association

Landlords Urged to Help Tackle Homelessness

Published On: August 9, 2016 at 9:51 am

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A Hertfordshire-based housing association has called on landlords to help tackle homelessness in the area through its new social lettings scheme.

The Hemel Hempstead-based Hightown Housing Association, based in the Dacorum Borough Council area, is launching its own social letting agency to help combat the increasing problem of homelessness in the district.

Landlords Urged to Help Tackle Homelessness

Landlords Urged to Help Tackle Homelessness

Hightown Lettings will offer private landlords a three to five-year lease for their properties, which they will let to families who are homeless or facing homelessness.

Under the terms of the new scheme, landlords will be guaranteed a monthly rent, whether their property is occupied or not, while Hightown Lettings will also manage the properties.

Landlords will also benefit from quarterly inspections, a £300 contribution towards minor repairs each year, and the ability to fund more expensive repairs/renewals by taking the cost out of their monthly payment.

Hightown will also return the property at the end of the lease in the same condition as the start, aside from fair wear and tear.

All properties leased under Hightown Lettings will be let and managed on Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs), with a break clause for either party to end the agreement within three months.

The housing association hopes that the scheme will help to reduce homelessness in the area, as the number of applications in the Dacorum Borough have risen by a huge 70% between 2014-15 to 131 in the last quarter.

The Chief Executive of Hightown, David Bogle, says: “The number of people being made homeless is increasing nationally, with 68,560 households living in temporary accommodation at the last count. Locally, the overall trend is not improving and we’ve been looking for new ways to assist local authorities with the problem.

“We hope this scheme will assist the local community and help us fulfil our aims of providing homes for those in need. For local landlords, they’ll have the benefit of long-term, no hassle letting with the rent and welfare of the property guaranteed.”

The housing association also reminds landlords that they will save on letting agent fees by leasing through the scheme, but they must be aware that the rental income they earn will usually be controlled by the amount of housing benefit that the tenant receives, which is typically 80% of the average local market rent.

The Lettings Manager of Hightown, Brian Finn, adds: “By guaranteeing the rent every month and not charging fees, the landlord’s income under Hightown Lettings will be very similar to the income received by going through a high street letting agent.”

The call from Hightown Lettings arrives as a new report highlights the chronic housing crisis in the UK. Shelter recently found that three million working families in England are at risk of losing their homes due to sky-high housing costs: https://www.justlandlords.co.uk/news/3m-working-families-one-pay-cheque-away-losing-home/

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Right to Buy scheme, ‘will erode housing associations’

Published On: January 26, 2016 at 1:58 pm

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Yesterday saw the Government announce that a pilot for the new Right to Buy scheme was to be trialled in five housing association areas.

As part of the pilot, the first housing association tenants can apply for the Right to Buy scheme, which comes ahead of a nationwide rollout later on in 2016. This follows a voluntary understanding between the Government and National Housing Federation to enlarge the Right to Buy scheme to 1.3 million housing association tenants.

Right to Buy scheme, 'will erode housing associations'

Right to Buy scheme, ‘will erode housing associations’

‘Unfortunate’

However, Stephen Smith, Director of Legal & General Housing Partnerships, described the extension as, ‘unfortunate,’ and believes the scheme will reduce the availability of affordable homes.

Smith also noted on that the scheme, ‘will ultimately erode housing associations’ ability to build homes.’ He believes, ‘this will reduce the number of affordable properties available in the UK when we need a greater supply of housing, not less.’[1]

‘Forcing the sale of homes at a reduced market value will ultimately disrupt a well functioning sector, making it harder for housing associations to allocate resources to housebuilding and more difficult for investors to lend to them. We hope that the Government reconsiders this decision before fully implementing it and instead look to other ways in which to produce affordable housing by focusing on the root cause of the housing crisis and tackling supply side issues,’ he concluded.[1]

[1] http://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/property/government-urged-to-reconsider-right-to-buy-scheme.html

 

Right to Buy pilot schemes launch

Published On: January 26, 2016 at 10:53 am

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Yesterday saw the initial pilot for the Right to Buy scheme launch in certain regions of England. This means that the first housing association tenants will be able to apply for the scheme through 5 separate housing associations, ahead of a countrywide rollout later in the year.

Agreement

This follows a voluntary understanding between the Government and the National Housing Federation, to extend the Right to Buy to 1.3 million housing association tenants. As part of this agreement, every home sold would be replaced nationally with a new affordable home.

At present, the existing Right to Buy scheme enables social housing tenants to buy their home with a discount of £103,900 in the capital and £77,900 elsewhere.

Right to Buy pilot schemes launch

Right to Buy pilot schemes launch

Communities Secretary Grey Clark observed, ‘anybody who works hard and aspires to own their own home should have the opportunity to realise their dream. The Right to Buy is central to that and has already helped more than 46,000 into homeownership since we reinvigorated the scheme in 2012. Thanks to the historic voluntary agreement with the sector a further 1.3 million housing association tenants now have the chance to open the door to their own home, starting with this trailblazing pilot scheme.’[1]

Pilot Areas

The pilot areas are being delivered by:

  • L & Q- Croydon LBC, Enfield LBC, Greenwich LBC, Haringey LBC, Lambeth LBC, Lewisham LBC, Newham LBC, Southwark LBC
  • Riverside- Liverpool CC, Halton BC, Knowsley MBC, Sefton MBC, St Helens MBC, Wirral MBC,
  • Saffron Housing- South Norfolk
  • Sovereign- Cherwell DC, West Oxfordshire DC, Vale of Horse DC, South Oxfordshire DC 
  • Thames Valley Housing Association-Guildford BC, Hart DC, Runnymede BC, Rushmoor BC, Woking BC 

[1] http://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/property/right-to-buy-launches.html

 

 

Right to Buy extension slammed

Published On: June 2, 2015 at 11:34 am

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In his address to the House of Lords today, Lord Kerslake is widely expected to show his displeasure towards the extension of the Right to Buy scheme. It was confirmed in last week Queen’s Speech that the scheme is to be extended to 1.3 million housing association tenants.

Nonsensical

One of the UK’s rural housing policy experts also believes that the planned extension of the scheme is largely nonsensical. Additionally, Professor Mark Shucksmith, Director of the Newcastle University Institute for Social Renewal, feels that the plan will be ultimately disastrous for those living in rural areas.

Professor Shucksmith said that, ‘there is already a shortage of affordable housing, especially in rural areas where there is little social housing. Rural house prices are on average 26% higher than in urban areas and the ratio of house prices to local earnings is even worse.’ He went on to say that, ‘disposing of housing association stock, at great cost to the taxpayer, will make the impact on rural communities much more serious.’[1]

Continuing, Shucksmith stated that, ‘we are already seeing those on low and medium incomes and especially young people, priced out of small towns and villages across the UK. With housing association properties sold off and unlikely to be replaced in any substantial quantities, the wealth divide in rural communities will deepen even further.’[1]

Right to Buy extension slammed

Right to Buy extension slammed

Detrimental to local employers

Alongside arguing that the forced sale of housing association properties will affect the demographic make-up of rural communities, Professor Shucksmith also feels that the knock-on effect for employers will also be detrimental. He notes that, ‘in it’s Rural Policy Statement in 2012, the Government recognised the social and economic importance if affordable rural housing. With rural areas becoming increasingly socially exclusive, local businesses-from farms and shops to accountants and software developers-will find it even harder to attract the young, skilled ambitious people they need.’[1]

Concluding, Shucksmith said that, ‘we urgently need more affordable homes to be built, not the disposal of the few that remain in rural areas..’ He feels that the Government should, ‘reconsider the Right to Buy extension and instead implement the recent recommendations made by the Rural Housing Policy Review group, to provide more affordable rural housing.’[1]

[1] http://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/property/will-right-to-buy-housing-policy-be-disastrous-for-rural-communities.html

 

 

 

Housing Association Helps with Youth Unemployment

Published On: January 21, 2013 at 12:56 pm

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With the recession forcing a number of families to struggle, housing associations are becoming more emotionally involved with tenants’ personal lives.

Chief Executive of Octavia Housing, Grahame Hindes recently penned an article for The Guardian outlining how his association is trying to help with youth employment.

Hindes’ articles begins by saying: “Housing associations are about much more than just bricks and mortar. Most housing providers have much wider social agendas, offering services which help to build stronger communities: support for the elderly and vulnerable individuals; finance and debt advice; and, in these tough economic times, training and employment services.”[1]

Housing Association Helps with Youth Unemployment

Housing Association Helps with Youth Unemployment

Protection

Across the UK, landlords are constantly looking for measures to protect both themselves and their tenants from the pitfalls of the recession. Landlords are taking out rental insurance to avoid the backlash of rent arrears. Some landlords offer a sympathetic ear to listen to tenants’ troubles.

Hindes suggests that to overcome problems and be sufficiently protected, tenants and landlords must work together. Octavia Housing has create four apprenticeship schemes for younger tenants, with the goal of making their “lives, noble, homes happy and family life good.”[2]

The four apprenticeship schemes aim to teach younger tenants on charity administration, care and support, electrical engineering and charity retail. It is hoped that skills acquired through the apprenticeship schemes will benefit the housing association sector in the future.

Courses

In order to become accredited on the scheme, tenants will have to attend college. All youngsters taking part will be assigned a mentor from Octavia Housing to give them support and to assist them to settle in.

Talking about the courses, Hindes expressed his belief that “the benefits of these apprenticeships will extend beyond the young adults chosen for the scheme.” He believes that through the apprenticeships, young people will “improve their job hunting skills and increase their awareness of the housing association as a source of advice and support.”[2]

Furthermore, Hindes hopes that the scheme “will start the working careers of many more of our young tenants.”[2]

[1] http://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2013/jan/21/octavia-housing-apprenticeship-scheme

[2] http://www.justlandlords.co.uk/news/Housing-Association-tries-to-help-with-Youth-Unemployment-1598.html