Industry News


LargeHAcriticised for failing residents over several years


ignored by their social landlord three years after they were first reported. The Observer newspaper initially covered


T


problems on the estate in 2018 and recently conducted a follow-up investigation. It was told by tenants that L&Q is still failing to address reports of unsafe and insanitary accommodation. A resident of one block. Antaine O’Briain was quoted as saying he and fellow residents have spent six years trying to resolve problems of damp and rotting windows. “Rainwater drips on to the electricitymeter


cupboard, some residents are scared to open their windows for fear the frame will fall out, as has happened already, none of the flats have adequate central heating and the basement is so overrun with vermin that rubbish collectors refuse to enter the bin area,” he said. “L&Q promised renovations would begin in 2018 and then in 2019, but nothing happened and the place is falling apart.” The Observer also highlighted the case of a


domestic abuse survivor who said she contemplated suicide after three years of leaks andmould in her


enants on a west London housing estate claim that problems with damp,mould and vermin in their homes are being


The Observer also highlighted the case of a domestic abuse survivorwho said she contemplated suicide after three years of leaks andmould in her own L&Q flat. She says the association ignored her requests to be rehoused even after her bathroomceiling collapsed due to leaks froma flat above


own L&Q flat. She says the association ignored her requests to be rehoused even after her bathroom ceiling collapsed due to leaks froma flat above. In July L&Q agreed to find her a new home after


The Observer intervened, and she was offered compensation for her damaged possessions. A spokesman said the woman’s experience had been “unacceptable” and it was launching an investigation into the repairs service’s failings. L&Q has devised a five-year plan to tackle


customer service failings and aims to invest £1.9 billon in its housing stock. It will include a wide range of improvements, including works to maintain DecentHomes standards,major internal


and external works, estate improvements, fire safety and energy works to reduce carbon emissions. It has also created a new housingmanagement


division overseen by Gerri Scott and an L&Q tenant will be appointed to a newly launched resident services board to ensure tenants’ concerns are heard. Gerri Scott, Group Director of Customer Services


at L&Q, said: “This programme putsmuch needed investment into L&Q’s homes and will be driven and overseen by our Residents Services Board. They will advocate on behalf of all residents to ensure that the programme delivers to timescale, is value formoney and high quality.”


North East England on the verge of a rentalmarket boom


Nationwide buy-to-let specialist Sequre Property Investment, believes the North East is on the verge of a rentalmarket boom, with investment in the Tees Valley helping to drive tenant demand in the area. The North East is fast becoming the focus for


housing investment having previously sat in the shadows of the NorthWest.House prices in the region have climbed considerably in the last year, up 11.8 per cent which is the second-highest rate of growth of all regions. Nissan recently revealed its Sunderland car


factory would create 400 jobs in the area, while the redevelopment of Teesside’s Redcar Steelworks is expected to bring a further 18,000 jobs, creating the UK’s largest Freeport in the process. This incoming investment is already showing


signs of stimulating the local propertymarket according to figures released by Sequre Property Investment, which show rental demand in the North East is currently at 42 per cent, higher than both the NorthWest (40 per cent) and England as a whole (39 per cent). Within the Tees Valley area, in particular,


Darlington is home to the highest level of rental demand at 52 per cent, with Redcar and Cleveland


“We’ve seenmore andmore investorswithin the buy-to-let space opt to invest outside of London due to themore favourable yields on offer and, as a result, the NorthWest


has been performing verywell in recent years. Daniel Jackson, Sales Director at Sequre Property Investment


(46 per cent) also seeing tenant demand for rental homes sit well above the regional average. Middlesbrough is the least in demand at 21 per cent, but is providing potential for further growth. Further analysis of the rentalmarket by Sequre


Property Investment also shows that these areas present a very good opportunity for buy-to-let investors due to varying levels of rental stock availability tomeet current and growing demand. Across both Redcar and Cleveland and


Stockton on Tees, just 16 per cent of all dwellings sit within the private rental sector, coming in below the national average of 19 per cent. Hartlepool is also home to a below-average level of rental homes at 18 per cent, whileMiddlesbrough (20 per cent) and Darlington (21 per cent) sit marginally higher.


18 | HMMOctober/November 2021 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk Sales Director at Sequre Property Investment,


Daniel Jackson, commented: “We’ve seenmore and more investors within the buy-to-let space opt to invest outside of London due to themore favourable yields on offer and, as a result, the NorthWest has been performing very well in recent years. “The focus certainly seems to be shifting to


the North East as the next area of substantial growth and investors are eying the potential returns thatmay come due to substantial projects like the redevelopment of the Redcar Steelworks. Firmfoundations of a strong rentalmarket are already in place across the Tees Valley area, but when you also factor in the potential shortage of existing stock in some areas, it presents a great opportunity for those considering an investment into the buy-to-let sector.”


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