Adur Homes Draft Housing Policies - Consultation
We'd like to hear your views on some draft policies and procedure documents we have been developing.
Background
In 2023 the new Director for Housing and Communities undertook a review of compliance within Adur Homes housing stock and this process identified a number of areas where Adur Homes was not compliant with required housing standards. In consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Member for Adur Homes and Customer Services, Adur District Council self-referred to the Housing Regulator on 24th February 2023. In May 2023, Adur Council received formal notice from the Regulator confirming that the Council was in breach of two sections of the then Home Standard.
In response to this the council has developed a comprehensive Improvement Plan and is making progress to address the areas of non compliance. A key action identified in this plan is to review and update key housing policies and procedures, to support the required improvement work and ensure the council is compliant with legislation and the new housing standards.
An initial review of policies and procedures was undertaken and a number of priority areas were identified to be addressed in the first instance.
Early working drafts of these documents (currently subject to legal review and approval) are provided below for comment by tenants, leaseholders and community partners.
The consultation period for these policies and procedures is open until midnight on 6th January 2025.
Next Steps: Following the consultation, the drafts of these documents will be taken to the Adur Homes Advisory Board (made up of elected councillors, tenants and leaseholder representatives and officers) for final comment and feedback before being agreed and adopted by the Adur & Worthing Joint Strategy Committee.
For further information please email:
Find out about, and have your say on, the:
Tenancy Policy
Please see the draft policy:
The Tenancy Policy is used for managing Adur Homes properties that are owned and managed by Adur District Council. This policy applies to social housing properties but not private rented assured shorthold tenancies, properties for outright sale or low cost home ownership. The policy describes how we consider housing nominations and let our homes. In particular, it addresses:
- What types of tenancies we offer
- How we manage property occupation and changes to tenancies
- How we sustain tenancies
- How we best utilise our available housing stock
- How we approach tenancy fraud
- The routes available for tenants to purchase their home
A key aim of the policies is to help ensure that access to housing is on a fair and equitable basis while ensuring that allocations are made in line with work to establish balanced communities and optimise the best use of our housing assets.
The consultation period ends at midnight on 20th December 2024.
Please note: We are looking at updating our Tenancy Agreements with our tenants. This has yet to be decided. Should we seek to update our Tenancy Agreements a separate consultation process will be undertaken to ensure we meet legal and good practice requirements.
Responsive Repairs Policy
Please see the draft policy:
The responsive repairs service is the most critical and visible service we provide as a landlord. It has the largest number of transactions and residents (tenants and leaseholders) have told us that it is the landlord service that is most important to them but also an area that needs improvement. Completing repairs quickly and effectively is therefore a top priority. The responsive repairs service also has a key role to play in maintaining the quality and value of our property assets.
The aim of this policy is to set out how we deliver our responsive repairs service to achieve high levels of resident satisfaction and ensure it delivers value for money.
This is one of a suite of policies that covers all our landlord repairs and maintenance responsibilities, including building safety compliance, damp, mould and condensation, planned improvement and works to void properties.
Responsive repairs include repairs to:
- External fabric of the building such as roofs, roofline goods (soffits, fascias and guttering), windows, external doors, structure
- Internal elements such as floors, tiling, kitchen units
- Heating and hot water systems
- Plumbing and waste services including bathrooms and toilets (please note tenants are responsible for blockages caused by waste such as nappies and food)
- Electrical wiring systems
- Fencing and external paving (limitations to this depending on elements damaged, eg fencing backing onto public areas, other fencing is tenants responsibility)
- Communal areas (including communal lighting)
For the purposes of this policy, a responsive repair does not include:
- Planned or programmed major component renewals such as kitchens, bathrooms, windows, external doors or roof replacements
- Cyclical maintenance, which is activity that has been planned to maintain the structure or safety of a building or equipment, including external decoration
- Activities related to servicing and compliance and resulting programmes of work
- Large, structural, or complex repairs (including those related to disrepair) that require significant planning and project management
- Tenant damage as per the Recharge Policy (see section below)
The consultation period ends at midnight on 20th December 2024.
Recharge Policy
Please see the draft policy:
Adur District Council (the Council) is committed to providing a cost effective, efficient repairs service whilst meeting all its legal, including contractual, obligations. This updated Recharge Policy applies to:
- Existing and former Adur Homes Tenants (of dwellings and garages)
- Leaseholders of Adur Homes properties
- Freeholders of ex-Adur Homes properties, where the purchase included an agreement to contribute towards any shared costs
The updated Recharge Policy provides guidance to residents (tenants and leaseholders) and to the council on what will be recharged and how much. Each case will be dealt with on its merits, but the principle of the policy is to ensure the council charges fairly and consistently and does not incur costs for which it is not responsible and thus will help to keep rents and service charges as low as possible.
The consultation period ends at midnight on 20th December 2024.
Tenants' Handbook
Please see the draft handbook:
The tenants' handbook is a 'one stop' source of information aimed at giving tenants guidance on their tenancy with Adur Homes. The handbook explains tenant rights and responsibilities, as well as the council's responsibilities as the landlord. It also gives details of the housing services the council provides.
The handbook covers the following areas:
- Welcome and resident care
- Tenancies and rights
- Responsibilities as tenant
- Repairs, maintenance and improvements
- Living in your home
- Being a good neighbour
- Ending your tenancy
- Getting Involved
- Living Independently
- Useful Contact Details
The consultation period ends at midnight on 20th December 2024.
Page last updated: 04 December 2024