Industry News
Funding package vital to PRS energy efficiency plans
Plans to introduce minimum energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector must be backed up by a comprehensive financial package says the NRLA. Te call came aſter Ed Miliband, energy
security & Net Zero secretary confirmed a consultation will be launched on plans to increase the minimum energy efficiency standard for rental properties to a C rating by
2030.Tose landlords whose homes do not meet the new standard will be unable to rent them out. Te C target mirrors Conservative proposals,
first mooted in 2021, which would have required all landlords in England and Wales to have a C rated home by 2028 – plans which were axed by former PM Rishi Sunak last year.
According to official data, in 2022, almost 45 per cent of private rented properties in England had an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of at least a C, more than double the rate compared to 2012. However, a third of private rented sector
homes were built before 1919, a higher proportion than any other tenure. Tese are among some of the hardest to improve properties of the entire housing stock. Chris Norris, policy director for the NRLA
said: “Te NRLA wants to see all rented properties become as energy efficient as possible. However, the Government’s approach must involve a clear and comprehensive plan which recognises that the sector has some of the oldest, and hardest to improve, properties in the UK’s housing stock. “Te sector needs a clear trajectory setting
out what will be expected of it and by when. Tis plan must also ensure sufficient numbers of tradespeople are in place to undertake the work that will be required. “Alongside this, as the Committee on Fuel
Poverty has warned, is the need for a financial package to support investment in energy efficiency measures. At present, the private rented sector is the only housing tenure without a bespoke package to support work to upgrade homes.”
T
he Housing Ombudsman has challenged the social housing sector over temporary accommodation processes that
stigmatise tenants, aſter he found a resident was unable to live in their home for three years. Tis case features in the latest learning from severe maladministration report. Te Housing Ombudsman has released its latest
severe maladministration report, sharing learning from cases involving temporary moves, known as ‘decants’ by the social housing sector. With the important role that social housing has to play in giving safe and secure housing to millions, the learning in these reports will help landlords provide effective services that protect this aspiration. Tis report comes ahead of the introduction of
Awaab’s Law, which has specific requirements for landlords on temporary moves where there are risks to the health and safety of residents. Tere are important learning points throughout
the report to help landlords prepare for the new legislation, including how process improvements could reduce stress and anxiety for residents, treatment of subsistence costs such as food and travel, assessing the suitability of alternative accommodation and empathetic communication. Included in the report are cases involving a
pregnant resident moved several times before not being able to return home due to the birth of her baby. Te Ombudsman has also highlighted a case where a resident ended up in temporary accommodation for three years – despite originally being given very little information about the initial move itself. Other cases include a resident requesting to
be moved because of poor living conditions not being actioned until a ceiling collapsed and other residents being locked out of hotel rooms because the landlord did not pay the invoices. Te Ombudsman will continue to share insight
12 | HMMOctober/November 2024 |
www.housingmmonline.co.uk
about this, and other topics, through its Centre for Learning. Landlords highlighted in this report include: • Kensington and Chelsea Council • Lambeth Council • Moat Homes • Notting Hill Genesis • Orbit Group •
Peabody
• Southwark Council • Wandle
Richard Blakeway, housing ombudsman, said: “Tis report focuses on landlord’s handling of temporary accommodation during works on a resident’s property. In the sector, this is termed ‘decants’ – which in itself is crude, dehumanising and stigmatising language for what can be a difficult and emotional process for any person. “Troughout this report, the human cost of
temporary moves is laid bare. Tere are cases where residents have spent months or years in temporary accommodation, sometimes bumped between different hotels, with experiences of financial hardship and difficulties coping with medical conditions. In some instances, children are not appropriately safeguarded. “You can see every case the different ways the
resident was simply not heard. It is a sombre read. Providing temporary housing is something almost every landlord will need to do at some stage. Every week there will be successful temporary moves. Given the costs that can be involved in this process, it is important to get it right. “Landlords should use this report to improve
services for residents who may be required to move due to works or other circumstance. With the incoming legislation from Awaab’s Law, this learning is even more strategically important for senior leaders to grasp.”
Ombudsman challenges ‘stigmatising’ temporary accommodation processes
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