HOUSING LAW NEWS & POLICY ISSUES

Autumn Budget: stamp duty and first-time buyers
On 29 October 2018, in his Autumn Budget speech, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that first-time buyers of shared ownership properties valued up to £500,000 would be exempt from stamp duty. The relief will be retrospective to purchases since last year’s Budget. The Chancellor said that 121,500 first-time buyers have benefited from the relief, announced in last year’s Budget, on purchases up to £300,000.

For the Budget speech, click here For the HM Treasury overview of tax legislation and rates, click here For coverage on the BBC News website, click here

Autumn Budget: housing development
In his Autumn Budget, the Chancellor announced a further £500m for the Housing Infrastructure Fund. He also announced the next wave of strategic partnerships with nine Housing Associations. The CIH said in respect of the latter announcement:

“The extension of strategic partnerships between Homes England and nine housing associations is welcome confirmation that government is adopting a strategic approach to meeting national housing need. These kind of partnerships provide the longer term certainly needed to plan for building new homes at scale.”

For the Budget speech, click here For the full CIH response, click here

Autumn Budget: Universal Credit
In his Autumn Budget, the Chancellor announced that there would be available a further £1bn over five years to help ease the transition to the Universal Credit system. He also said that the work allowance (ie the amount claimants can earn before Universal Credit begins to be withdrawn) would be increased by £1,000 a year. For the Budget speech, click here For the CIH response to this particular announcement, click here

Private shared homeownership: call for proposals
On 29 October 2018 the government launched a consultation concerning private share homeownership and seeking proposals in three categories:

• private shared ownership which would be primarily privately funded
• other private affordable homeownership products which should be primarily privately funded
• other innovative routes into homeownership which do not require government investment but may require the removal of regulatory or other barriers.

For more details, see Housing Law Consultations (below). For the consultation document, click here

Evaluation of the Help to Buy equity loan scheme
On 29 October 2018 the MHCLG published an updated evaluation of the Help to Buy equity loan scheme (an external evaluation had originally been published in 2016) with the principal aim of providing a comprehensive evidence base focussed on the additionality of the scheme – covering both demand and supply additionality.

The evaluation found that in the first quarter of 2017 the overall house price average was £288,000, while the Help to Buy average was £271,000 (rising to £280,000 in the second quarter of 2017) while the new build average was almost £340,000. There had been almost 135,000 Help to Buy sales up to June 2017. While Help to Buy sales have generally been below 4% of total sales, for the first two years Help to Buy ran at between 30% and 40% of new build sales. Since then this proportion has risen, especially in late 2016 and early 2017. Over 80% of Help to Buy purchasers are first-time buyers and most buy detached or semidetached houses. The average deposit has been around 10% and the mortgage about 68% – some 15% below the Loan to Value ratio for mainstream first-time buyer mortgages where there are very few mortgages offered at 90% or above.

For the updated evaluation, click here For the original 2016 evaluation, click here

Abolition of the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap
On 29 October 2018 the MHCLG and HM Treasury published the Limits on Indebtedness (Revocation) Determination 2018 which abolishes the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap by revoking previous determinations that specified local authority limits on indebtedness. For the determination, click here

Moving homeless people from their communities
On 25 October 2018 Huffington Post reported that a Freedom of Information request had revealed that 21 of the UK’s biggest local authorities are routinely moving people hundreds of miles away from their work and schools because of the difficulty of housing them within their neighbourhoods. The problem, notes Huffington Post, is most acute in London but has spread to other large cities, including Birmingham and Liverpool. According to the report, Brent recorded 2,247 out of borough placements in the last five years, Southwark 4,041 and Islington more than 3,000. Placements from the capital have been as far away as Manchester, Wolverhampton and Oldham. For the report, click here

Government plans to improve tenant safety
On 26 October 2018 the MHCLG announced plans to tighten health and safety standards for rental accommodation in order to ensure that tenants have a safe home. The measures include “cracking down” on the small minority of landlords that are renting out unsafe and substandard accommodation and ensuring carbon monoxide rules are fit for purpose so that tenants are protected from the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning. A review of the system in respect of unsafe accommodation will consider whether it should be updated and, if so, to what extent. For the announcement, click here

Grenfell site: environmental checks
On 26 October 2018 the MHCLG announced that additional environmental checks are to be carried out in and around the Grenfell Tower site to provide extra reassurance to survivors and local residents. In addition to up to £50 million committed by NHS England to carry out a 5-year health monitoring programme, as well as ongoing air quality monitoring at the site, the plans involve:

• further environmental sampling of the site, including comprehensive soil analysis to check for any signs of contamination
• water analysis, if required
• wider health monitoring and treatment options to reassure those affected.

For full details, click here

Care leavers
On 26 October 2018 the MHCLG committed to the care leavers covenant, the key principles of which are:

• that all parts of society have a responsibility to help care leavers to avoid poor outcomes and make a successful transition to adulthood; and
• that action to support care leavers should be in their best interests, promote their health and well-being and secure the best possible outcomes for them.

In particular, the MHCLG will demonstrate its commitment to the care leaver covenant by specific initiatives, including:

• supporting local authorities to implement the care leavers’ accommodation and support framework (developed by Barnardo’s and St Basils), which aims to stop care leavers being homeless and make sure they have suitable housing and support:
• introducing an oversight scheme, to make sure that supported housing accommodation for care leavers is of the right quality and delivers value for money;
• continuing to encourage local authorities to recognise the special circumstances of care leavers and identify them as a group who may need priority for social housing as outlined in current guidance;
• giving care leavers aged 18-20 automatic ‘priority need’ for accommodation if they are homeless;
• giving care leavers aged 21 and above priority need if they are vulnerable as a result of having been in care.

For the full commitment, click here

Leasehold dwellings – England, 2016 to 2017
On 25 October 2018 the MHCLG published statistics which provide an estimate of the number of leasehold dwellings in England. In 2016-17, there were an estimated 4.3 million leasehold dwellings in England. This equates to 18% of the English housing stock. Of these, 2.3 million dwellings (54%) were in the owner occupied sector and 1.7 million (40%) were privately owned and let in the private rented sector. The remaining 244,000 (6%) were dwellings owned by social landlords and let in the social rented sector. Two-thirds (67%, 2.9 million) of the leasehold dwellings in England were flats; 33% (1.4 million) were houses.

These figures (which are published as experimental official statistics, ie ‘new official statistics undergoing evaluation’) are unchanged from 2015-16, when this estimate was last produced. For the full release, click here

Voluntary Right to Buy for housing association tenants – England
On 25 October 2018 the House of Commons Library published a briefing providing background on the government policy to extend the Right to Buy to assured tenants of housing associations on a voluntary basis. No implementation date for full roll-out has been announced. A large regional pilot scheme in the Midlands was launched on 16 August 2018. The government has said that the impact of the pilot scheme will be assessed before decisions are made on the next steps. For the briefing, click here

Forces Help to Buy Scheme quarterly statistics: July to September 2018
On 25 October 2018 the Ministry of Defence published a quarterly release providing summary statistics on applications, payments and purchases made under the Forces Help to Buy (FHTB) scheme. Between 1 July to 30 September 2018:

• 1,716 First Stage applications were received.
• 828 Second Stage applications were received.
• 847 payments were made to Service personnel.

Since the Scheme began in April 2014:

• 33,476 First Stage FHTB applications have been received.
• 19,104 of these applications have proceeded to the Second Stage.
• Payment has been made to around 16,100 applicants, totalling around £242 million, an average of approximately £15,000 per claim.

For the full statistics, click here

Youth homelessness – Wales (1)
On 25 October 2018 the Wales Centre for Public Policy published a report – Preventing Youth Homelessness – which finds that early interventions which stop young people from becoming homeless before it happens are the key to eradicating youth homelessness. The report recommends:

• Working across government to increase the public’s awareness of available support and services for young people at risk of homelessness;
• Creating ongoing support for young people leaving care, some of the most likely people to become homeless, until the age of 25;
• Ensuring that young people being discharged from the criminal justice system are helped to plan their next steps and have access to a range of housing options.

For the report, click here

Youth homelessness – Wales (2)
On 25 October 2018 The Wallich published a report – Real Voices, Real Trauma – which projects the voices of 30 young people who have experienced homelessness across Wales. The report finds:

• 47 per cent of the group became homeless because of relationship breakdown within the family; often citing conflict between the young person and their parents.
• 17 per cent said that the death of a close family member affected them so much that this became a key factor in their homelessness. In some cases, a parent died, which put additional pressure on the remaining parent. This led to the suffering and breakdown of the rest of the family.
• One in four members of the group said they had experienced violence, abuse or sexual assault within the childhood home, sometimes at the hands of a family member, sometimes a friend of the family.
• 50 per cent of the group had diagnosed mental health issues. These issues included, but were not limited to, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, depression and personality disorders.
• Only 7 per cent of the group highlighted alcohol or drug use as a key driver leading to their homelessness; 80 per cent said that alcohol or drugs would become a feature of their homelessness – many people turned to drugs as a last-resort form of self-medication.

For the report, click here For the related press release, click here

Help to Buy – Wales
On 25 October 2018 the Welsh Government released figures that, it said, show “the inappropriate use of leasehold has been virtually eradicated in Wales’ Help to Buy scheme.” Housing and Regeneration Minister Rebecca Evans also said that similar action could protect “all new homebuyers from leasehold abuse”.

The latest statistics, covering July to September 2018, find:

• During that period, 402 property purchases were completed using a Welsh Government shared equity loan. This brings the total number of purchases under Help to Buy-Wales since its introduction on 2 January 2014 to 7,806.
• At 30 September 2018, there were 811 applications for loans still outstanding.
• During the period, the total value of these equity loans was £16.2 million. The value of the properties purchased totalled £81.7 million.
• The mean purchase price of a property bought using the scheme during the quarter was £209,474, with a mean equity loan value of £41,561.
• During the period, there were eight completed purchases of leasehold properties. Of these three were houses which is significantly less than the 25 recorded in the same quarter of last year.
• The majority of homes purchased through the scheme to date have been to first time buyers, accounting for 75 per cent of all completed purchases.

For the Minister’s statement, click here For the statistics, click here

Mortgages on properties let to benefits claimants
On 26 October 2018 the Residential Landowners Association reported NatWest’s announcement that it plans to review its lending practices, following concerns that they prevent landlords from letting properties to tenants who are claiming benefits. The announcement follows news that a landlord had her mortgage revoked by NatWest because its policy was not to allow rentals to benefit claimants. For more information, click here

HOUSING LAWS IN THE PIPELINE

Local Housing Authority Debt Bill
This Bill, which had its first reading in the House of Lords on 4 July 2017, seeks to replace the current regime of limits on local housing authorities’ debt with limits determined by the existing prudential regime for local authority borrowing for non-housing-related purposes. The second reading is yet to be scheduled. For the Bill as introduced, click here To follow progress of the Bill, click here

Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill
This is a Private Member’s Bill introduced in the House of Commons by Karen Buck. The Bill aims to amend the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 to require that residential rented accommodation is provided and maintained in a state of fitness for human habitation; to amend the Building Act 1984 to make provision about the liability for works on residential accommodation that do not comply with Building Regulations; and for connected purposes. On 14 January 2018 the government confirmed that it would support the Bill. It completed its Commons stages on 26 October 2018 and received its first reading in the House of Lords on 30 October 2018. It will receive its second reading on a date to be appointed. For the Bill as amended in committee, click here For a House of Commons Library research briefing, click here . To follow progress of the Bill, click here

Homeless People (Current Accounts) Bill
This is a Private Member’s Bill introduced in the House of Commons by Peter Bone. The Bill is intended to require banks to provide current accounts for homeless people seeking work; and for connected purposes. The Bill is being prepared for publication. The Bill received its first reading on 5 September 2017. The second reading is due to take place on 1 February 2019. To follow progress of the Bill, click here

Sublet Property (Offences) Bill
This is a Private Member’s Bill introduced in the House of Commons by Christopher Chope. It is intended to make the breach of certain rules relating to sub-letting rented accommodation a criminal offence; to make provision for criminal sanctions in respect of unauthorised sub-letting; and for connected purposes. The Bill is being prepared for publication. The Bill received its first reading on 5 September 2017. The second reading has been postponed again and is now due to take place on 23 November 2018. To follow progress of the Bill, click here

Mobile Homes and Park Homes Bill
This is a Private Member’s Bill introduced in the House of Commons, also by Christopher Chope. It is intended to require the use of published criteria to determine whether mobile homes and park homes are liable for council tax or non-domestic rates; to make provision in relation to the residential status of such homes; to amend the Mobile Home Acts; and for connected purposes. The Bill is being prepared for publication. The Bill received its first reading on 5 September 2017. The second reading has been postponed again and is now scheduled for 23 November 2018. To follow progress of the Bill, click here

Affordable Home Ownership Bill
This Bill was introduced to Parliament on Tuesday 24 October 2017, also by Christopher Chope, under the Ten Minute Rule and is a Private Member’s Bill. It was said by him to make provision for affordable home ownership; to require the inclusion of rent to buy homes in the definition of affordable housing; to make provision for a minimum proportion of new affordable housing to be available on affordable rent to buy terms; to provide relief from stamp duty when an affordable rent to buy home is purchased; and for connected purposes. The Bill itself has not yet been published. Its second reading has been postponed to 23 November 2018. To follow progress of the Bill, click here

Creditworthiness Assessment Bill
This Private Member’s Bill was introduced by Lord Buck and had its second reading in the House of Lords on 24 November 2017. The Bill would require certain matters (including rental payment history) to be taken into account when assessing a borrower’s creditworthiness. The Bill has completed all stages in the Lords. It received its first reading in the Commons on 12 September 2018. The second reading has been postponed and is now scheduled for 23 November 2018. For the Bill as brought from the Lords, click here For progress of the Bill, click here

Private Landlords (Registration) Bill
This Bill was introduced to Parliament on 17 January 2018 under the Ten Minute Rule. The Bill seeks to require all private landlords in England to be registered. The second reading of the Bill has been postponed again and is now due to take place on 23 November 2018. For the Bill, as introduced, click here To read the debate on introduction of the Bill, click here To follow progress of the Bill, click here

Leasehold Reform Bill
This Bill, introduced to Parliament on 7 November 2017 under the Ten Minute Rule and sponsored by Justin Madders, makes provision about the regulation of the purchase of freehold by leaseholders; to introduce a system for establishing the maximum charge for such freehold; to make provision about the award of legal costs in leasehold property tribunal cases; and to establish a compensation scheme for cases where misleading particulars have led to certain leasehold agreements. The second reading has been postponed and is now due to take place on 23 November 2018. The Bill is being prepared for publication. To follow progress of the Bill, click here

Homelessness (End of Life Care) Bill
This Bill, sponsored by Sir Edward Davey, was introduced to Parliament on 7 February 2018 under the Ten Minute Rule. It makes provision about end of life care and support for homeless people with terminal illnesses, including through the provision of housing for such people. The Bill’s second reading has been further postponed to 23 November 2018. For the Bill as introduced, click here To follow progress of the Bill, click here

Rating (Property in Common Occupation) and Council Tax (Empty Dwellings) Bill
This government Bill was given its first reading in the House of Commons on 28 March 2018. It makes provision, where two or more hereditaments occupied or owned by the same person meet certain conditions as to contiguity, for those hereditaments to be treated for the purposes of non-domestic rating as one hereditament; and to increase the percentage by which a billing authority in England may increase the council tax payable in respect of a long-term empty dwelling. The Bill has completed its passage through the House of Commons and the House of Lords where amendments were tabled at third reading. The Commons considered those amendments on 16 October 2018. For those amendments, click here For the government’s announcement of the Bill, click here For all the debates concerning the Bill, click here To follow progress of the Bill, click here

Tenant Fees Bill
This government Bill makes provision for prohibiting landlords and letting agents from requiring certain payments to be made or certain other steps to be taken; makes provision about the payment of holding deposits; to make provision about enforcement and about the lead enforcement authority; and amends the provisions of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 about information to be provided by letting agents and the provisions of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 about client money protection schemes. The Bill has completed all its stages in the Commons. It received its first reading in the Lords on 6 September 2018 and its second reading on 10 October 2018. The Bill will go into committee on 5 November 2018. For the Bill as introduced in the House of Lords, click here For the impact assessment, click here For a research briefing prepared for the report stage in the Commons, click here To follow progress of the Bill, click here

Housing and Planning (Local Decision-Making) Bill
This Private Member’s Bill seeks to remove powers of the Secretary of State in relation to the location of and planning permission for new housing developments; to give local authorities powers to establish requirements on such developments in their area, including requirements on the proportion of affordable and social housing. It received its first reading on 13 March 2018. The second reading has been postponed and is now scheduled for 23 November 2018. The Bill is being prepared for publication. To follow progress of the Bill, click here

Renting Homes (Fees etc.) (Wales) Bill
This Welsh Government Bill includes provision for: prohibiting certain payments made in connection with the granting, renewal or continuance of standard occupation contracts; and the treatment of holding deposits. The Bill is currently at Stage 1. The Stage 1 debate on general principles will take place in Plenary on 6 November 2018. For the Bill, as introduced, associated information and to follow its progress, click here

HOUSING LAW CONSULTATIONS

Consultation on A new deal for social housing green paper
The social housing green paper proposes to ensure social homes provide an essential, safe, well managed service for all those who need it. The government says that it will consider how it can re-balance the relationship between residents and landlords to ensure issues are resolved swiftly and residents’ voices are heard. To support this vision there is, in the government’s opinion, a powerful case to be made for strengthening the regulatory framework so that it not only focuses on the governance and financial viability of housing associations, but also on how residents are treated and the level of services they should expect. The government seeks to address the stigma that for too long has been associated with social housing and on which residents all around the country have voiced their concern. The green paper seeks views on the government’s vision for social housing providing safe, secure homes that help people get on with their lives. The consultation closes on 6 November 2018. To access the green paper, click here To respond online, click here

Review of social housing regulation: call for evidence
The social housing green paper set out the government’s intention to carry out a review of regulation of social housing to ensure it remains fit for purpose, reflects changes in the social housing sector and drives a focus on delivering a good service for residents. This call for evidence asks for information on how the regulatory regime is meeting its current objectives – both what works well and what does not. It marks, together with questions in the green paper, the first stage in the review process. The government says that it is keen to hear from a wide range of interested parties including residents, landlords and lenders. The consultation closes on 6 November 2018. For the consultation document, click here To respond online, click here

Rents for social housing from 2020-21
The MHCLG is seeking views on a proposed direction to the Regulator of Social Housing from the Secretary of State to the Regulator of Social Housing to ensure that, from 2020 onwards, the Regulator’s rent standard:

• reflects the Ministry’s announcement in October 2017 that it intends to permit registered providers to increase their rents by up to CPI+1% each year, for a period of at least 5 years; this announcement recognised the need for a stable financial environment to support the delivery of new homes;
• applies to local authority registered providers (as well as to private registered providers), to reflect the roll out of Universal Credit.

The direction also sets out the basis on which social rents and affordable rents are set.

The consultation closes on 8 November 2018. For the consultation documents and to respond to the consultation, click here

Law Commission consultation on leasehold enfranchisement
The Law Commission has published a consultation paper on leasehold enfranchisement reform: Leasehold home ownership: buying your freehold or extending your lease. The paper proposes reforms designed to secure a better deal for leaseholders who want to purchase the freehold or to extend the lease of their home. The Commission says that the proposals would:

• Make the enfranchisement process easier, cheaper and quicker
• Improve and enhance the rights of leaseholders to buy their freehold or extend their lease
• Introduce a simpler unified procedure for houses and flats
• Remove limitations on the right to enfranchise, including the requirement that leaseholders must have owned their property for two years before making a claim.

In addition, at the government's request, the Commission has provided options to reduce the price payable by leaseholders to buy the freehold or extend their lease while ensuring sufficient compensation is paid to landlords to reflect their legitimate property interests. It is said that the proposals, which are now open for consultation, would save leaseholders time, stress and money, reducing legal costs and helping to prevent unnecessary disputes. The consultation closes on 20 November 2018. For further details and the Consultation Paper, click here

Implementing changes to the park home commission rate – Wales
The Welsh Government is consulting on how best to introduce the decision to reduce park home commission rates; what guidance is needed to support the change (if any); and how best to communicate that change. The consultation closes on 14 December 2018. For the consultation document, click here

Housing adaptations service standards – Wales
The Welsh Government is consulting on service standards for the delivery of housing adaptations. These standards are designed to improve consistency of delivery. They will apply to service providers and occupational therapists. The government wants to determine whether:

• the proposed standards improve the delivery of housing adaptations
• there are any other service standards which should be included
• the proposed timeframes for the different types of adaptations are challenging enough.

The consultation closes on 19 December 2018. For the consultation document, click here

Implementing reforms to the leasehold system
The government is seeking views on how to implement its reforms to the leasehold system in England to improve the housing market for consumers. In December 2017, the government announced it would tackle unfair practices in the leasehold market by introducing legislation to prohibit new residential long leases from being granted on houses, other than in exceptional circumstances, and restrict ground rents in newly established leases of houses and flats to a nominal amount. The consultation sets out how the government intends to make changes and on how it should implement the reforms. This includes understanding circumstances for exemptions and measures to improve how leasehold properties are bought and sold. The consultation also promotes fairness for freeholders and includes proposals to ensure that the charges that freeholders may pay towards the maintenance of communal areas are fairer and more transparent. The consultation closes on 26 November 2018. For the consultation document, click here

Changes to planning policy and guidance including the standard method for assessing local housing need
The publication of new household projections by the Office for National Statistics has led to a significant reduction in the overall numbers generated by the standard method for assessing local housing need. This consultation sets out proposals to update planning practice guidance on housing need assessment to be consistent with increasing housing supply. This consultation also proposes clarifications of national planning policy on:

• housing land supply
• the definition of deliverable
• appropriate assessment.

The consultation closes on 7 December 2018. For the consultation document, click here

Ensuring tenants’ access to gigabit-capable connections
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is seeking views on proposals to make it easier for residential and commercial tenants to access high quality and reliable broadband. The government has set a target of making gigabit-capable networks available to 15 million premises by 2025, with nationwide coverage by 2033. This consultation is seeking responses on the following proposals:

• Amending the Electronic Communications Code to place an obligation on landlords to facilitate the deployment of digital infrastructure when they receive a request from their tenants.
• Enabling communications providers to use magistrates’ courts to gain entry to properties where a landlord fails to respond to requests for improved or new digital infrastructure.

The consultation closes on 21 December 2018. For the consultation document, click here

Private shared homeownership: call for proposals
The government would welcome proposals in three categories:

• private shared ownership which would be primarily privately funded
• other private affordable homeownership products which should be primarily privately funded
• other innovative routes into homeownership which do not require government investment but may require the removal of regulatory or other barriers.

Proposals should not rely on government grant funding, government guarantees or developer s106 contributions. The government is particularly interested in private shared ownership proposals where it believes government loan funding will play an important part in removing the risk and financial uncertainty created by staircasing (ie buying extra shares in a shared ownership property).

The consultation closes on 1 February 2019. For the consultation document, click here

HOUSING LAW ARTICLES & PUBLICATIONS

Tenants granted new powers to hold rogue landlords to account as MPs pass housing bill Harriet Agerholm, The Independent 26 October 2018 – to read the article click here

Housing benefit bill set to treble to £70 billion by 2050, report warns Camilla Tominey, The Telegraph 27 October 2018 – to read the article click here (registration or subscription required)

Don’t overlook accessibility when planning social housing, Sheron Carter, The Planner 25 October 2018 – to read the article click here

Succession and discrimination – death or divorce Giles Peaker, Nearly Legal 28 October 2018– to read the item click here

Revealed: How universal credit is fuelling Britain’s homelessness crisis Jamie Doward, Amy Walker and Michael Savage, The Observer 28 October 2018 – to read the article click here

Why are so many people sleeping rough on Britain’s streets? Special Report Jamie Doward and Amy Walker, The Observer 28 October 2018 – to read the article click here

HOUSING LAW DIARY

1 November 2018                                 
Tenants’ Associations (Provisions Relating to Recognition and Provision of Information) (England) Regulations 2018 come into force

1 November 2018                                 
Allocation of Housing and Homelessness (Eligibility) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2018 come into force

5 November 2018                                 
Tenant Fees Bill due to enter committee stage (see Housing Laws in the Pipeline)

6 November 2018                                 
Consultation closes on A new deal for social housing green paper (see Housing Law Consultations)

6 November 2018                                 
Wales Assembly Stage 1 debate in Plenary on Renting Homes (Fees etc.) (Wales) Bill (see Housing Laws in the Pipeline)

8 November 2018                                 
Consultation closes on rents for social housing from 2020-21 (see Housing Law Consultations)

20 November 2018                               
Law Commission consultation on leasehold enfranchisement closes (see Housing Law Consultations)

23 November 2018                               
Second readings scheduled (as to each of which, see Housing Laws in the Pipeline) for:

• Sublet Property (Offences) Bill
• Mobile Homes and Park Homes Bill
• Affordable Home Ownership Bill
• Creditworthiness Assessment Bill
• Private Landlords (Registration) Bill
• Leasehold Reform Bill
• Homelessness (End of Life Care) Bill
• Housing and Planning (Local Decision-Making) Bill

26 November 2018                               
Consultation closes on Implementing reforms to the leasehold system (see Housing Law Consultations)

Advertise your vacancy to Housing Law Week Readers

Send details of the vacancy and a link to the vacancy on your website to info@limelegal.co.uk

RECRUITMENT

Featured Jobs of the Week

Housing Options Manager

Post number: 001079

Full time – 37 hours

Band 8 (£33,136 to £37,107)

We are looking for an experienced housing professional to join us to work within our housing options service to jointly share the management responsibility with another Housing Options Manager to provide the day-to-day management of the housing options service which, includes advice, homelessness, temporary accommodation and the allocation of social housing.

The successful candidate will have:

• Minimum of two years’ relevant work experience.
• Experience of leading/managing staff and delivering services at middle management level.
• Up to date knowledge and understanding of housing legislation relating to housing options services including an excellent understanding and practical application of the Homeless Reduction Act 2017.
• Experience of partnership working with external organisation across the public, private and voluntary sector
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise work to meet statutory and local deadlines, ensuring attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to develop improved ways of working, balancing a pragmatic approach with creativity and innovation to respond to demand from service users in achieving targets under pressure and against tight deadlines

The job will involve some evening and weekend working with a requirement to fulfil an on-call rota.

If you would like to have an informal discussion about the role, please speak to Tracey Slater Housing Options Service Manager (01493) 846268.

For further details or to apply click here.

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Housing Strategy Policy
and Performance Officer

Post No. 000766

Band 8: £33,136 - £37,107

Following a restructure of the housing service we are looking to recruit a Housing Strategy Policy and Performance Officer.

In this busy role you will be responsible for:

• Development and production of key strategies for the housing service and for the coordination and monitoring of associated action plans.
• Development, evaluation and review of polices within the housing service to ensure they meet current legislative requirements and reflect best practice.
• Development of key performance measures for the housing service, coordinating production of performance data, bench marking and data analysis to inform service improvement
• Development and implementation of plans in respect of providing housing and support to asylum seekers and refugees.
• Managing the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller site
• Managing the Council’s process in respect of retained right to buy receipts.

This varied and exciting role requires someone with a good knowledge of housing legislation together with the social and national issues affecting housing and how they affect service delivery. You will need to be highly motivated, focused with excellent organisational skills in order to manage the varied responsibilities required for this role.

In addition, the successful candidate will need to demonstrate the following key skills and experiences

• Researching and interpreting complex issues to inform strategies and policies.
• Providing balanced advice and guidance on housing issues to a wide range of audiences
• Dealing with a wide range of stakeholders and collaborating with a number of different partners.
• Proven ability to shape and influence both policy & strategy as well as responding to policy developments
• Experience of analysing and presenting data and information, both verbally and in a written format to a high quality

If you would like to have an informal discussion about the role, please speak to Trevor Chaplin, Interim Deputy Head of Housing on (01493) 846279.

For further details or to apply click here.

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Review Officer

Post Number: 001085

BAND 7: £28,485 - £31,601

PART TIME – 20 HRS PER WEEK

Following a restructure of the housing service we are looking to recruit a Review Officer within our Housing Options Team to conduct statutory reviews of homeless decisions and reviews of housing allocation decisions.

The successful candidate will also be responsible for investigating complaints, dealing with MP enquiries, freedom of information requests and for collecting and collating key performance indicators on behalf of the Housing Options Service.

The successful candidate will have:

• A minimum of three years’ experience of homelessness and housing allocation work including making decisions on cases.
• Knowledge and understanding of housing legislation relating to housing options services including an excellent understanding and practical application of the Homeless Reduction Act 2017.
• Experience of researching and interpreting legislation, case law, statutory guidance and policies to undertake reviews and provide written responses to applicants

If you would like to have an informal discussion about the role, please speak to Trevor Chaplin, Interim Deputy Head of Housing on (01493) 846279

For further details or to apply click here.

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Tower Hamlets Law Centre
Housing Solicitor/Caseworker 

Salary: Up to £30,000 p.a. + generous terms and conditions. 

Tower Hamlets Law Centre helps some of the most vulnerable people in London’s East End. Since our foundation in 1975, we have earned a fine reputation amongst our clients and supporters as skilled and determined legal advisers to the local community.

We are currently seeking a housing solicitor/caseworker to help work on our Legal Aid Agency contract covering legal help, certificated cases and representation at court as part of the duty solicitor scheme. You’ll need to have at least one year’s experience of advising and assisting in housing law (if you are a solicitor, not all of this experience needs to be post qualification), together with a talent for explaining complex legal ideas in simple language and the ability to manage a demanding workload. 

Please email recruitment@thlc.co.uk to request an application pack.  

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 14 November 2018.

LB of Camden
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LB of Camden
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Wandle
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Wandle
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Swindon BC
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Swindon BC
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