Industry News
Funding confirmed for EPC improvements to private rentals
New Homes Ombudsman service appoints new chief ombudsman
Nigel Cates has been hired as the new chief ombudsman for the New Homes Ombudsman Service targeted with resolving disputes between new home buyers and housebuilders. Launched in 2022, the service deals
with complaints in the first two years from reservation or practical completion, whichever is later. NHOS forms part of Te Dispute Service Group, the country’s leading tenancy deposit and dispute resolution service provider. Cates took over leadership of the
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new funding pot has been announced to support energy efficiency improvements to privately rented homes in England, with
grants to be focused on low-income households. Te money will be distributed through the
‘Warm Homes: Local Grant’ scheme, with landlords eligible to receive up to £30,000 towards improvements to their first rental property, and £15,000 for work on additional homes to let. Properties must have an EPC rating of D to G to qualify. Te funding will be capped at a maximum of £15,000 per home for energy performance upgrades, and £15,000 for low carbon heating. Private landlords will be eligible for full funding for the first property, and will need to contribute 50% of funding for any additional homes. It will be distributed by eligible local authorities,
with the Government stressing the money will be focussed on improving the ‘energy performance and heating systems of low-income homes’ in England – across privately-owned properties. Te call comes aſter Energy Security Ed Miliband
confirmed a consultation will be launched on plans to increase the minimum energy efficiency standard for rental properties to a C rating by 2030. Tere are currently three different eligibility
criteria: • Eligible postcodes: Tese are based on deprivation factors.
• Benefit claimants: Tenants who are in receipt of certain benefits, including Universal Credit and housing benefit or who meet the existing ECO4 Flex Criteria.
• Low-income households: Households whose gross income is below £36,000 a year.
Te onus will be on councils to check that those claiming grants fall into one of these brackets. While the cash is not yet available, private landlords are being encouraged to check
whether funding will be available in their area, as outlined above. For landlords to benefit from the Warm Homes:
Local Grant they must: • Express permission for their details to be shared and stored on a central database of landlords participating in the Warm Homes: Local Grant;
• Agree to support DESNZ-led surveys or evaluations regarding PRS uptake in the Warm Homes: Local Grant; and
• Confirm that the Minimum Financial Assistance threshold of £315,000 will not be exceeded by the landlord receiving the proposed assistance.
Eligible local authorities were able to express an interest in accepting funding in October. Tere will not be a limit on how many properties a landlord can claim for, however there is a maximum amount that can be paid out. Tis upper limit is £315,000 and includes any previous grant funding claimed for improvements. Te NRLA has welcomed the move, but would
like to see support available for those landlords who do not fall within the remit of the scheme. NRLA Deputy Director for Campaigns Meera
Chindooroy said: “Any grant funding to pay for energy improvements is to be welcomed and we are pleased to see the investment is not limited to a single tenure. “However, the nature of the scheme means that
huge swathes of landlords across the country will be, quite literally, leſt out in the cold. It’s also unclear if there will be enough to pay for improvements across the areas already selected to benefit. “Te PRS has some of the oldest, and hardest to
improve, properties within the UK housing stock and what we would like to see is a comprehensive package of financial support available to landlords across the board.”
independent body from the end of September, replacing Alison MacDougall who retired in August. He joins with experience as head of financial support and controls and head of complaints/service recovery at HSBC UK aſter a nine-year stint at the bank. Before that, he served as senior
ombudsman at the Financial Ombudsman Service and as competition and consumer director at the Office of Fair Trading. Cates said: “I am delighted to be joining NHOS at this critical stage in its development. With the Government committed to an ambitious programme of new house building, there is a growing recognition that the service should be moved onto a statutory footing to ensure that all new homeowners have access if needed to a first-rate ombudsman service. “I look forward to building on the success
to date of NHOS and to working with the New Homes Quality Board and developers to further improve the standard of new housing across the UK.” Jodi Berg OBE, chair of the NHOS
Board, said: “We are excited to have Nigel lead this increasingly important service. Not only does he bring significant and relevant experience to the table, but his career has involved substantial senior level representation across the public, private and not for profit sectors. We look forward to welcoming him to our team at NHOS and to the TDS Group at large.” In late 2022, NHQB launched the New
Homes Quality Code in England, Scotland and Wales, and in Northern Ireland in 2023. Te new code is an attempt to get a robust voluntary system of consumer regulation in place for the housebuilding sector aſter facing serious criticisms in recent years.
www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMMOctober/November 2024 | 17
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