Industry News


Peabody admit failings over deceased tenant


A


housing association’s tenant died at home and their body lay undiscovered for two and a half years while the landlord


and various statutory organisations failed to “join the dots”. Te remains of 61 year old Sheila Seleoane were


eventually found in her flat in Peckham, south east London, when Police forced entry to the property to conduct a welfare check in February this year. Staff from her landlord had reportedly made


89 attempts Ms Seleoane since August 2019 when she last paid her rent in person, but all attempts failed. Rent was subsequently paid directly from her Universal Credit account from March 2020, but her gas supply was cut off in June 2020 when attempts to carry out a gas service at the flat were unsuccessful. Te Police unsuccessfully attempted to access the


flat in October 2020 but a control room officer told staff at Peabody that the tenant was “safe and well”. Despite this residents and neighbours in the block


continued to raise concerns and made reports of smells in the flat’s vicinity. An investigation undertaken for Peabody has


revealed that large patch sizes for neighbourhood wardens and a culture of silo working resulted in missed opportunities to intervene and establish what was happening. Te resulting report has been published by the association. Peabody Chief Executive, Ian McDermott


said: “We are devastated at what has happened. We are so sorry for our part in this and apologise to Sheila, her family, and everyone living at Lord’s Court. “Te report finds that in this case - while we


followed processes and made 89 attempted contacts with Sheila – our teams worked in silos and operated independently of each other which meant that we didn’t “join the dots” and realise something was wrong. When taking action in this case, we didn’t ask the most fundamental question – is Sheila ok?”


“I am sorry that Sheila was so isolated, and we


didn’t see, and I’m sorry that we didn’t support residents enough. We need to do better, and I am determined that we will.” Mr McDermott said tenants have a right


to peaceful enjoyment of their home, and landlords do not have the right to enter someone’s home without the police or going through a legal process. But by connecting all the information that was available, much more could have been done to support residents in raising concerns with the Police at an earlier stage. He added that the association has already made


changes to some policies and is actively addressing all the recommendations in the report. He added: “We are determined to be a more responsive, locally focused and connected organisation in the future. Our new ways of working will invest in customer- facing teams, break down silos, and put our values into practice.”


Disputed rental deposit deductions totalled £27m in 2021


Disputes over deductions from tenancy deposits declined during 2021 but still amounted to an estimated £27 million, with disagreements over cleaning being the most contentious issue between landlords and tenants. Te latest figures show that over 4.5m tenancy


deposits are currently protected across the UK rental market, up 2.3 per cent on the previous year. Tis means £4.6 billion is held in deposit protection schemes, up 1.1 per cent on the previous year. Te average amount being disputed fell from


£793 to £784 in 2021, while the total number of disputes also declined by 12 per cent to 34,444 last year. Tis means the number of disputes as a percentage of all deposits held has dropped marginally, down from 0.9 per cent to 0.8 per cent.


Cleaning was by far the most contentious issue


between landlords and tenants when it comes to disputes over deposit deductions, with damages to the property, redecoration costs, gardening and rent arrears also ranking high. At an average cost of £1,005 per tenancy, the cost


of a deposit may have fallen by 1.2 per cent year on year, but this is still a considerable sum and tenants are within their rights to challenge any deductions made, if they feel they are unfair. Eddie Hooker, CEO of mydeposits and the


Hamilton Fraser Group said: “It’s only natural that a certain number of landlords and tenants won’t see eye to eye when it comes to rental deposit deductions. On the one hand, the deposit held is a considerable sum of money while landlords


understandably expect their property to be returned in the same condition as it was let and to be paid the rent owed in full. “Te good news is that deposit deduction


disputes are relatively few and far between and account for less than one per cent of all deposits held within authorised protection schemes. We’ve also seen a reduction in total disputes lodged, which suggest the rental sector has become a more harmonious place over the last year, or that tenancies post-pandemic are increasing in length, resulting in less end of tenancy issues. Either way, it looks as though the sector is heading in the right direction where tenant-landlord relationships are concerned.”


Build-to-rent new build market share increases year on year


Te latest rental sector insight by rental platform, Rentd, has revealed that the proportion of new-build completions coming via the build-to-rent sector has grown in the last year, now accounting for over 7 per cent of all new homes reaching the market. Rentd analysed total new-build completions


over the last year, what level of these completions are attributed to the rapidly growing build-to-rent sector and how this has changed year on year. Last year, 7,123 new rental homes came via the


build-to-rent sector, a 25 per cent upliſt on the volume of build-to-rent completions seen in 2020. Tis growth is some 7 per cent higher than the increase seen in total new-build completions during the same period. As a result, build-to-rent completions accounted


for 7.2 per cent of all new-build homes delivered last year, up from 6.8 per cent the previous year. However, the sector’s impact has been far greater


in London. Te 21,000 new homes delivered in the capital in 2021 account for 10 per cent of the UK


20 | HMMAugust/September 2022 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


total. Te 7,123 build-to-rent completions, on the other hand, account for just shy of half (48 per cent) of the national total. As a result, build-to-rent completions accounted


for 34 per cent of all new-build delivery across London in 2021, with this market share increasing from 29.2 per cent the year before. Tis growth has been more muted elsewhere


around the UK, with build-to-rent market share increasing from 4.1 per cent to 4.2 between 2020 and 2021.


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