Agenda item

To confirm as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting held on 20^th July 2018.

The Chair noted the response received around the queries raised from the last meeting around some of the performance indicators.

Q  What’s the definition of a Section 106 and explanation of this in relation to new affordable homes

A  Section 106 is a planning condition that ensures a number of units built by the developer as part of their overall housing development are transferred to an Affordable Housing Provider who will manage the units and let them as an Affordable Housing product (see below). The mix of products is defined by Planning Policy. 

Q  New Affordable Homes – does this include properties which are to be sold?

A  Affordable Housing can mean a variety of products – these are the Government definitions, for consistency purposes:

·  Social Rented: Social rented housing is owned by local authorities and private registered providers (as defined in section 80 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008), for which guideline target rents are determined through the national rent regime. It may also be owned by other persons and provided under equivalent rental arrangements to the above, as agreed with the local authority or with Homes England.

·  Affordable Rented: Affordable rented housing is let by local authorities or private registered providers of social housing to households who are eligible for social rented housing. Affordable Rent is subject to rent controls that require a rent of no more than 80 per cent of the local market rent

·  Intermediate Housing: Intermediate housing is homes for sale and rent provided at a cost above social rent, but below market levels. These can include shared equity (shared ownership and equity loans), other low cost homes for sale and intermediate rent, but not affordable rented housing.

Q  Empty Properties – what is included in this figure?

A  Long term empties are defined as housing that has been vacant for 6 or more months. In April 2012 we had 5777 long term empties across the city.  A commitment was made as part of the city's Core Strategy (key planning document) that we would reduce the number of local term empties by 2000 by the end of March 2017. Hence 3777. This is vital to the Core Strategy because making use of existing housing stock means that 2000 new homes do not need to be built - hence protecting green field and green belt land from development

Q  Annual Home Visits – how many have not had a visit for over two years and what process is used to deal with these cases

A  The process for an Annual Home Visit begins with a letter being sent to the tenant for an appointment. If the visit is unsuccessful (e.g. either not in the property or they refuse access), then 3 further letters are sent to the tenant giving 14 days, then 7 days, and finally 24 hours’ notice of an Annual Home Visit.

During this time the housing officer would also make other contact, e.g. telephone/email depending on the tenant’s preferred methods of contact. The housing officer will also attempt to liaise with gas inspection checks and any other Housing Leeds contact that has been arranged (e.g. planned works, repair visits etc).

If after this stage the tenant has not granted access for an AHV for two years, then Housing Leeds can consider a range of options including issuing a housing caution to the tenant, using an external process server to contact the tenant and arrange an appointment and ultimately taking legal action to evict the tenant. This would be a matter of last resort and we would take into account all the circumstances of the tenant, including any health or vulnerability issues that they may have.

The vast majority of Annual Home Visits are completed successfully with tenants; in the period 1st April 2016 to 1st April 2018, 234 tenants (less than 0.5% of the total) have not had an Annual Home Visit during this time; these are at various stages of the process described above.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held on 20 July 2018 be approved as a correct record.