ROOF Blog

A freedom of information request by Andrew Slaughter, London MP for Ealing, Acton and Shepherd’s Bush, has found presentations made by the Conservative leader of Hammersmith and Fulham council to senior Tory figures calling for limiting social housing to the old, infirm and disabled in a bid to solve the ‘concentration of deprivation’. Council leader Stephen Greenhalgh suggested a range of ‘radical reforms’ including wanting to see social rents rise to market levels; welfare payments based on need rather than rent paid; an end to tenure for life by those in need of social housing; five-year reviews of existing tenants to check on changing circumstances; and demolition of some of the borough’s largest council estates.

The number of tenants struggling to pay their rent is rising, according to the Association of Residential Lettings Agents (ARLA). Around 65 per cent of agents have seen an increase in renters falling behind on their rent during the past six months, while 93 per cent said they had seen a rise in the number of tenants haggling with landlords about the level of rent. ARLA said the increases were not just about tenants experiencing financial problems, but were also likely to be due to people cashing in on falling rents.

The Association of Residential Lettings Agents (ARLA) has also questioned the new repossession proposals for rented property. It has called for the government to be clearer about its intentions to implement the schemes into law ‘at the next opportunity’ saying the timeline is far too vague. It also says that seeking to notify tenants seven weeks before repossession hearings could encourage tenants to break their contracts and seek new landlords too early.

The Tenant Services Authority is offering social landlords small grants to help them develop ‘local deals’ with their tenants. Grants up to £9,000 will be made available to housing associations, councils and arm’s length management organisations to improve services in response to local needs.

Borrowers with tracker or variable rate mortgages have benefited from a 17 per cent fall in the cost of owning a home in the past year. However, everyone else including tenants and those on fixed rate deals, have faced an increase of 4.5 per cent in the cost of household expenses. Energy costs rose by 13 per cent, water by 5 per cent, council tax and domestic rates by 3 per cent and the cost of repair work by 5 per cent, but for borrowers whose mortgage repayments have fallen these increases have not be enough to offset the 47 per cent they saved on interest repayments, the average mortgage rate falling to 3.62 per cent in April this year, from 5.8 per cent at the same time last year.

Stirling council has become the first local authority in Scotland to ban the practice of evicting tenants who fall behind on their rent payments. Latest figures show the authority had evicted 23 such tenants in 2008, in moves the councillors called ‘draconian’. Shelter Scotland said it was delighted with the move and called on other councils to follow Stirling’s lead, stating that more than 97 per cent of the 3,577 evictions by councils and housing associations in 2007 and 2008 were for tenants who had fallen into arrears.

The National Landlords’ Association is warning landlords on the dangers of cannabis factories in their rental properties, adding they have a responsibility to make sure they are aware of what is going on inside their property. The NLA says the damage caused to a property used as a cannabis farm can be ‘catastrophic’ with internal walls removed, and repairs running into tens of thousands of pounds.

The needs of vulnerable people will be protected in the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) regulatory framework. Speaking at the national sheltered and supported housing congress, head of the TSA Peter March said that coordination between tenant, landlords and their stakeholders is key to ensuring vulnerable tenants get the best service possible. The TSA consulted with more than 27,000 tenants to develop the standards which will apply to all social landlords from April 2010.

Michael Portillo former Conservative front bencher has called for an end to security of tenure, saying there are not enough social houses to keep giving people a home for life. He wants to give property to those who have connections with their local area, over new immigrants.

A government review of water charges has suggested that residential landlords could be made liable for unpaid water bills left by departing tenants. Water companies argue that they are vulnerable to bad debts because they are not permitted to disconnect their supply for non-payment. Landlords call the prospect ‘alarming’ and say it will increase rents.