Edinburgh to spur tenants into smaller properties

Council offers tenants £1,000 to downsize

Edinburgh Council is offering tenants up to £1,000 worth of help to move into a smaller house in a bid to free up under-occupied accommodation.

Social control

City welcomes first council homes in a generation

The first new council home to be built for a generation in Edinburgh was handed over last week.

Landlord offers tenants cash incentive to downsize

Tenants living in under-occupied homes are being offered cash incentives to downsize by a housing association.

Further details of Green Deal revealed

Further details of the Green Deal have been released by the government including which measures are suitable for a property and plans to ensure consumers are not ripped off.

Going spare

The government’s contentious ‘bedroom tax’ on under-occupying tenants is set to become law this month. Alex Turner looks at the disproportionate effect it’s likely to have in the north

Open-door policy

Allowing private landlords to validate local housing allowance claims can help councils simplify their procedures and cut their housing waiting lists. Neil Merrick heads to Derbyshire to find out how

Green guru

Social landlords must ask themselves now how they will access green deal cash and whether energy company obligation funding can help, says Sally Hancox

Cheaper by the Durkan

The contractor charged with giving an east London estate a facelift also threw in comprehensive energy retrofitting - at no extra cost. Jess McCabe finds out more

Calling in the movers

The ‘bedroom tax’ is meant to encourage tenants to downsize if they are under-occupying their homes. But, especially in the north of England, social landlords say there are simply not enough smaller houses and flats to move tenants into.