Alan Leach
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Comments (3)
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Comment on: Rough sleeping figures rocket across England
Surely the trend isnt up it is just a case of an honest count, not some government cover up of the reality of the last ten years.
I think we have all known that the official figures were far out of touch with the true numbers but by clever interpretation of what counts as rough sleeping/street homeless you can make them appear lower. -
Comment on: Time for change
Could we also throw letting agents in the mix and regulation be extend to the often extortionate fees charged for "renewing" AST's
I have heard instances of up to £150 being asked to renew after six months, this is money that people on benefits cannot afford to pay but are to scared not to.
I have experienced many abuses of people in private lets, including people being asked to sign to say they can be told to leave the same day for any breach, this is done on the day they complete the initial tenancy sign up -
Comment on: Time for change
Could we also throw letting agents in the mix and regulation be extend to the often extortionate fees charged for "renewing" AST's
I have heard instances of up to £150 being asked to renew after six months, this is money that people on benefits cannot afford to pay but are to scared not to.
I have experienced many abuses of people in private lets, including people being asked to sign to say they can be told to leave the same day for any breach, this is done on the day they complete the initial tenancy sign up -
Comment on: Housing association to slash pay for care staff
Re Joe Halewoods comment:-
We are seeing the larger HAs takeover smaller HAs support businesses for alleged economies of scale. That’s has major and significant consequences for those that matter, the poor vulnerable people who are in receipt of such support services which are now being delivered by lesser paid lesser motivated and eventually lesser experienced staff as experienced staff leave the support sector.
My Employer is a Housing Association and we have undergone T&C reviews and the changes that go with that, however this isn’t all to do with takeovers or funding cuts, its as much about other organisations tendering for contracts that have an element of TUPE at a rate so low that it will never break even.
Having won the contract because they offer a cheap service, these providers l either try to wriggle out of their TUPE responsibility by saying the contract is different or they TUPE skilled staff who have been trained at the expenses of others and devalue and demoralise them by restructuring them at the earliest opportunity at lower pay.
Commissioners need to look at the disparity between tender price and TUPE cost to protect frontline staff and not award to the cheapest bidder
Whilst I don’t like to think anyone should have their salary reduced in a time of austerity there is a care industry just waiting to step in and take on traditional support business at much reduced rates. -
Comment on: Housing association to slash pay for care staff
Re Joe Halewoods comment:-
We are seeing the larger HAs takeover smaller HAs support businesses for alleged economies of scale. That’s has major and significant consequences for those that matter, the poor vulnerable people who are in receipt of such support services which are now being delivered by lesser paid lesser motivated and eventually lesser experienced staff as experienced staff leave the support sector.
My Employer is a Housing Association and we have undergone T&C reviews and the changes that go with that, however this isn’t all to do with takeovers or funding cuts, its as much about other organisations tendering for contracts that have an element of TUPE at a rate so low that it will never break even.
Having won the contract because they offer a cheap service, these providers l either try to wriggle out of their TUPE responsibility by saying the contract is different or they TUPE skilled staff who have been trained at the expenses of others and devalue and demoralise them by restructuring them at the earliest opportunity at lower pay.
Commissioners need to look at the disparity between tender price and TUPE cost to protect frontline staff and not award to the cheapest bidder
Whilst I don’t like to think anyone should have their salary reduced in a time of austerity there is a care industry just waiting to step in and take on traditional support business at much reduced rates.
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Posts (5)
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Posted in: New definition for housing related support
So this is what Mr Cameron meant by less beaurocracy when he talked about the Big society
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Posted in: Problem tenants
what about the right to reclaim rent when repairs are not done or people have to live in squallor because a greedy landlord is only interested in how much public money he can get for letting substandard property
changes in the law you advocate wont happen due to the unscrupulous way that some landlords trample over the rights of the individual, It wont happen for rent arreas because housing benefit dont process applications expediently and even though rent is the tenants responsibilty to pay there has to be an understanding of the failing of the current payment system.
housing benefit should in my opinion be able to be paid direct to the landlord but the landlord should in turn be regulated and monitored before taking public money.
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Posted in: Problem tenants
"The law ties landlords to waiting 6 months before they can arrange the balifs".
"8 weeks notice, tenant refuses to leave
2 months approx to get a date in court
Judge grants a further 1-2 months to tenant to find somewhere else to live
Tenant refuses to leave a further 2 weeks to get the baliffs in"
excuse me being pedantic and i now understand where you are coming from but you are mixing what is due process and what is law
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Posted in: Problem tenants
The difference is that it doesnt affect my health or sleep when one of my tenants stops paying rent and as I know what to expect of the legal system dont get the sort of surprise that Wendy got, lots of people are moving back with parents and renting out their homes thinking it will pay the mortgage with little thought or understanding of the risks.
In the last 2 years there have been massive shifts in regard to eviction affecting AST's not least the mental health capacity act and that has meant that unless you have some knowledge you will fall foul and wait longer,
I do bow to your superior knowledge of the law and would be grateful if you could tell me which piece of legislation ties you to waiting six months before you can arrange baliffs as that one has passed me by
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Posted in: Problem tenants
Wendy you will probably have gathered from all these posts that there are good and bad people in the world
I have worked for the last 12 years housing some very vulnerable people with all sorts of issuesand have worked with private landlords to place these people in private rented,
build a relationship with a support provider in your area and when your property is about to become void you can talk to them about a family or individual who through support has learned to understand budgeting, healthy living, what holding a tenancy means, its important to me that i place the people i support in appropriate affordable accomodation and once i have a good private landlord would do my utmost to maintain that relationship
You can house people on benefits, but jumping into letting property without really understanding what a tenancy is or having some knowledge of the housing act will leave you in a vulnerable position.
I have friends in the building trade who have carried out work and then had payment refused for flimsy reasons they to loose thousands and its often the more wealthy who practice this
For your own health and peace of mind once you have your property back dont dwell on this experience and please dont tar all vulnerable people with the same brush there are good and bad in all walks of life.
hope your next tenant /s are more responsible and respect the opportunity of housing you provide.