Agenda item

The Director of Housing submits a presentation for information to the Commission on the Housing register, lettings, and tenant overcrowding and under-occupation.

The Director of Housing submitted a presentation to update on the Housing Register, lettings, tenant overcrowding and under-occupation information.

Justin Haywood, Service Manager, Partnerships & Housing Solutions, delivered the presentation, and drew attention to the following information:

·         Headline data for those facing homelessness largely remained the same at 21%.

·         There had been an 11% increase in lets compared to the same period for 2018 (675). If the trend continued, the service would be on track to have an additional 100 lets, though there were ebbs and flows in the data.

·          

·         Band 1 had changed significantly over past six months, with numbers increasing by 23%, due to changes in policy to ensure those in most need were in the highest-priority band.

·         There are now three distinct categories of overcrowding, within Bands 1, 2 and 3 to reflect the different degrees experienced. Band 2 had seen a 1% decrease as a result of policy changes, but there had been no significant change in Band 3.

·         Under lettings information, there had been an increase in offers to Band 1 applicants due to policy change. It was reported that Beaumont Leys had the most vacancies during the period outlined.

·         There were no family lettings in Band 3.

·         Customer information was given to all new applicants and added to Leicester HomeChoice.

·         A project working on tenant overcrowding and under-occupation had ended. Phase 2 had not been as successful and it had been concluded tenants were reluctant to move. The Tenants Incentive Scheme would be introduced to take the objectives forward with a different approach, alongside a budget to consider extensions for eligible properties.

In response to Members’ questions, the following information was provided:

·         When people applied for housing, they could bring to the attention of officers an issue with overcrowding. There was also good management information on the number of tenants considered to be statutorily overcrowded. Band 1 had seen an 82% rise as a result of better identification and policy change.

·         Phase 2 of the project to get tenants to swap had not replicated the success of Phase 1. It had highlighted that tenants would require incentives to move in significant numbers.  As such, the next step was to recommend a tenants’ incentive scheme.

·         Around 45% of homeless applications were from households renting within the private rented sector, with 90% of these being made homeless through no fault of their own.

·         When purchasing housing it took quite a while to bring back into Housing stock, as voids were prioritised with the use of resources, to the detriment of bringing those properties back on board.

The Assistant Mayor for Housing and Education noted that councillors were in a good position to provide advice to residents and visuals in the presentation were helpful. She reported that ‘Right to Buy’ had put huge pressure on council housing stock, and what could now be provided for residents had changed over the past ten years, but residents still applied for and expected to be provided with a council house.

The Assistant Mayor added that issues around the private rented centre would go the Neighbourhood Services Scrutiny Commission as a regulatory function, but the whole conversation around civil penalties, or selective licensing schemes could be brought to the Housing Scrutiny Commission.

The Chair agreed that housing was in crisis and needed a mass social housing building programme. He added that overcrowding had an impact on children and health of those people affected. He welcomed the commitment to new build housing.

The Chair further noted rough sleeping was happening around the country and was not acceptable, and with the housing crisis there would be more people being made homes and more families split up. He added that people were at the mercy of landlords who served eviction notices for no reason, and tenants were too frightened to report repairs for fear of eviction.

The Chair thanked officers for their hard work.

AGREED:

1.    That the presentation be noted.