Industry news
Social tenants less satisfied with repairs than private renters
T
enants of councils and housing associations are more dissatisfied with their landlord’s repairs and
maintenance service than private renters, the latest English Housing Survey report has shown. Council tenants are the most dissatisfied
with repairs work to their homes at 25 per cent, compared with 22 per cent for HA tenants and 18 per cent of private renters. The report does not reveal the reasons for the differences in satisfaction levels. However, social housing tenants are also
more likely to report dissatisfaction with their accommodation (13 per cent) compared with 10 per cent of private renters and three per cent of owner-occupiers. Social tenants are more likely than those
in other tenures to be ‘very dissatisfied’ with their accommodation (six per cent) compared with less than one per cent of owners and four per cent of private renters. Social housing tenants are also less likely than other tenure groups to feel safe in their neighbourhood.
PROFILES There were noticeable differences in satisfaction levels between council and housing association tenants. Council tenants are slightly more likely to be dissatisfied with their accommodation than those renting from a HA (15 per cent compared with 12 per cent). As the report points out this difference may be due to different property age profiles and the quality of housing stock, as HA homes were typically built more recently than most council houses. Overall some 3.9 million households in
England were renting in the social housing sector (17 per cent of all households) which is now the smallest tenure group, after the private rented sector (20 per cent) and owner occupiers (63 per cent). Among social renting households, 59 per
cent rented from housing associations (2.3 million households) and 41 per cent from councils (1.6 million). While households renting from housing associations now make up the majority of social sector households, this has only come about in recent years. In 2015-16, social tenants had lived at
their current address for an average of 11.6 years, compared with 17.8 years for owner- occupiers and 4.3 years for private renters.
CHARACTERISTICS Generally council tenants are older than the average adult in England, is more likely to be white and have or be living with someone with a disability while private tenants are younger than average. Social housing tenants are more likely to be living in single adult households or as single parents, but less likely to be in full-time work. The average weekly income of social
tenants was £394, which is significantly lower than the average income of private tenants (£673) and of owner-occupiers (£919). No doubt this is connected to the survey’s finding that a quarter of social rented households were in rent arrears or have been over the past year. In 2015/16 there were 686,000 (25.4 per
cent) social rented households in arrears, or households that had been over the past 12 months, compared with just nine per cent of private renters. This is a lower proportion of households in arrears compared to 2014/15, when 27.7 per cent were either in arrears or had been over the year. The survey found that a cut to housing
benefit was cited as a reason for being in arrears more commonly by private renters than social tenants. Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of those who said they were in arrears because of a housing benefit cut said this was due to the “new benefits system/caps”.
CAP The lower benefit cap was introduced at the beginning of this year and has estimated to have hit 88,000 families, 63 per cent of which are single-parent families. Families living in overcrowded social
rented homes have increased, after remaining at six per cent for three years. There are now seven per cent of social rented households living in overcrowded conditions, a return to the 2010/11 peak. The survey found the proportion of
households in the social rented sector who expect to buy their own home has increased, from 35 per cent in 2010/11 to 47 per cent in the latest year. A DCLG spokesperson said: “The
number of social renters in arrears has fallen year-on-year and we’re reducing social housing rents by one per cent each year for four years.”
8 | HMM September 2017 |
www.housingmmonline.co.uk
Rise in tenants’ complaints to Ombudsman
Complaints by social housing tenants to the sector’s ombudsman have increased, with repairs again featuring as the most complained about service. Figures reported in the Housing Ombudsman’s annual report for 2016/17 shows that overall it received 15,112 complaints and new inquiries, there was an 18 per cent rise in the number of cases that went forward to a formal investigation and compensation orders against landlords totalled more than £200,000. Highlights from the ombudsman’s annual report included:
• Staff completed inquiries into and closed 15,877 complaints;
• 96 per cent of complex cases were determined within 12 months (59 per cent in 2015/16);
• 2,471 landlords are members, representing 4,761,158 properties, comprising - 2,051 housing associations, 349 councils and 71 private landlords;
• Responsive repairs (34 per cent) were the largest category of complaints overall followed by tenants’ behaviour (10 per cent);
• 546 orders of compensation totalled £205,402;
• Individual compensation awards ranged from £20 to £8,195; and
• Vast majority of complainants are tenants but 17 per cent of complaints come from leaseholders.
David Connolly, interim housing ombudsman, said: “The improvements in our service reflect the dedication and hard work of our staff. Through their efforts we have made a difference for many complainants, and we have played our part in supporting the sector to improve complaints handling and develop their services.” The report showed increased productivity and high levels of customer satisfaction. In the wake of its publication, Labour MP Rushanara Ali called for a ratings system so tenants would be able to avoid poor-performing housing associations. “Why can’t we have league tables for housing associations so we know who are the worst offenders,” she said. In the past year the Ombudsman and the Homes and Communities Agency have been told by MPs to liaise better, with concerns over whether landlords pay sufficient notice to tenants’ complaints heightened after the Grenfell Tower tragedy. It has been reported that residents were raising issues about fire safety and electrical problems long before the terrible events in mid June.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
