Industry news


Wales looks to ban letting fees


The Welsh Government has introduced a bill to ban the charging of fees for many standard tenancy transactions in the private rented sector. This has the potential to save tenants many hundreds of pounds and follows similar steps taken in Scotland and at Westminster. The Renting Homes (Fees etc) (Wales) Bill will prohibit landlords and letting agents from charging


for basic activities such as viewing properties, signing contracts, renewing tenancies and receiving an inventory, or checking out. Under the proposed new law, tenants who


comply with their tenancy agreement will only be required to pay rent plus security and holding deposits. Holding deposits paid to reserve properties


would be capped at one week’s rent. Councils will be allowed to hit landlords and


agents attempting to charge tenants fees banned under the legislation with a £500 fixed penalty, or take them to the magistrates’ court with the


potential for an unlimited fine if they fail to pay. Offenders could also face losing their landlord licence through the Rent Smart Wales scheme. Rebecca Evans, housing and regeneration


minister for the Welsh Government, said: “Fees charged by letting agents often present a significant barrier to many tenants, especially those on lower incomes. In most instances they will only need to pay their monthly rent and a security deposit. I want renting to be a positive and widely accessible choice for people, and this bill will ensure that rental costs become more reasonable, affordable and transparent.”


Welsh care and repair agencies get £6m cash boost


Care and repair agencies in Wales are being given an extra £6m, allowing them to help thousands


more vulnerable people to live independently in their own homes. There are 13 care and repair agencies in Wales,


covering every local authority area in the country. Last year they helped more than 40,000 people, by carrying out more than £11.5m of repairs, around 17,000 for small adaptations, and safety and falls- prevention work for 22,000. The agencies help vulnerable older people to live independently by carrying out minor repairs and


adaptations at their homes. They also provide free home visits to check people’s health and well-being, including whether they are able to keep warm. Rebecca Evans, housing and regeneration


minister for the Welsh Government, said: “Housing adaptations play an important role in helping many older and disabled people live safely and independently. As well as improving their lives, it reduces pressure on frontline health and social care services.”


Scotland to legislate for sprinklers in all new social homes


The Scottish Government is to pass new laws forcing developers to include sprinklers in all new social homes, during the lifetime of the current parliament.


Housing minister Kevin Stewart made the pledge


after an opposition backbencher, David Stewart, Labour MSP for the Highlands and Islands, gained cross-party support for the proposal.


The new requirement will be included in a bill to


be prepared alongside two reviews of building standards and fire safety, in time for it to be passed before the next Scottish elections in 2021. This will extend fire safety legislation north of


the border, as new private and social residential buildings higher than 18 metres are already required by law to have automatic fire suppression systems fitted to them in Scotland.


News in Brief


• An attempt to get the Freedom of Information Act to apply to housing associations and public contractors has failed after time ran for it to be debated in the House of Commons. Hammersmith MP Andy Slaughter had tabled a Private Members’ Bill to put social landlords on the same footing as councils. Mr Slaughter has vowed to not give up, but his Bill was not supported by the Government and therefore stood little chance of reaching the statute book. Ministers claim that provisions already in the existing legislation can be extended to apply to HAs.


• Kensington and Chelsea Council has agreed a budget of £3.6m to replace about 4,000 fire doors on council-owned properties around the borough after tests found they were unsafe. This follows the news that fire doors used in Grenfell


Tower were found to only provide fire cover for half of the specified 30 minutes. Housing secretary James Brokenshire recently told Parliament that tests conducted on doors made by Manse Masterdor had revealed a “performance issue”.


• The year following the Grenfell Tower fire saw a 56 per cent increase in the number of fire safety contracts awarded by councils and housing associations according to data collected by the consultancy group Tussell. 221 fire safety tenders worth £661m were published, up from 142 in the previous year.


• About 180 people were evacuated from a 20-storey tower block in Lewisham, south London on the first anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire. The blaze, in a flat on the 12th floor of the building on Elmira Street, Lewisham, started at 04:14 and was under control by 05:23. Eight fire engines and 58 firefighters attended. London Fire Brigade said a sprinkler system inside the tower was


20 | HMM July 2018 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


activated and suppressed the fire. The Metropolitan Police said there were no reported injuries. Residents ignored the Stay Put policy to evacuate the building with many complaining afterwards that no fire alarm sounded.


• Stevenage Borough Council has announced a £45m programme to refurbish 4,000 homes in hundreds of blocks of flats. Wates Living Space and Mulalley have been appointed for a five-year programme to carry out essential repairs to 550 blocks of flats, starting later this year. Work will vary from block to block, but will include roofs, windows, structural repairs, rewiring, fencing, paving, signs and some redecoration of communal areas. This is part of the council’s plan to ugrade existing stock and invest £1bn over the next 30 years to build quality new council homes for local people. Overall, the council is investing £448m in building new council homes and £660m in maintaining and improving existing council properties.


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