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Comments (126)
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Comment on: Government urged to rethink bedroom tax
Reading between the lines here, I think our convernment has a strategy to solve the housing crisis, not by building more homes, but by making people occupy every space in their homes. Under 35's will get only enough HB for a room.....but social tenants get only enough HB to rent 1/2 their house. In the future, those without means and on an average income will simply be expected, it seems, to let rooms out.
Speaking as an owner occupiers truggling with a stupidly large mortage on a pokey flat, I let a room out....and trust me, it's not nice having to share a toilet with a stranger! -
Comment on: Anger as government halts welfare bill changes
This was always going to happen. Whilst I think the proposed reform is too hard, too fast and badly timed when the jobs pages are not exactly teeming with jobs, I do think its needs to happen and when it does, there will always be horrible, awful fallout. Unfortunately, the impact of this long stagnation in the economy is being felt by all.
I'm an owner occupier, made redundant last year I stuggled to find work and now have two part time jobs and a lodger to help pay the mortgage on a property I have been trying to sell for a year. Sharing my home is horrible, but it's a tough choice, put up or hand the keys back to the bank.
None of us can expect to be immune...unless we want to end up like some of our european neighbours. -
Comment on: Tenants respond to resident engagement rewards
I think Colemankim14 has a point.....but reward and incentive needs to come a quality focussed approach. I worked for a while as a TPO and for the 20% of good quality and meaningful involvement there was 80% unproductive complaining, unrealistic expectation and estate politics. I don't think the incentive alone will encorage quality involvement- people are either the kind of people that 'get' involvement or the kind of people that don't, and no amount of money will sell the 'dont' group the idea. Customer segmentation is important, as, again, some people are only really interested in some things and not at all in others. If resident satisfaction is the way forward, then care needs to be taken to give people a clear indication of what to expect...and that may go well beyond how many rings it takes to answer the phone and whether repairs timescales are met, and into satisfaction with neighbourhoods.
I do wonder, where in the long run, tenant involvement is going- what is the aim? and most importantly, unless it is crystal clear, how do you know when you have got there!? -
Comment on: Government issues guidance on housing allocation
In theory, anyone claiming JSA is "seeking" work, but we all know the level of committment to that seeking varies from trying really hard to blagging really hard. I would be interested to find out how they work out the really trying from the really blagging! It seems to me the people who are really trying are those either with a lot to lose from long term unemployment, to the couldn't care less because they've learned to manage on JSA.
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Comment on: Government issues guidance on housing allocation
In theory, anyone claiming JSA is "seeking" work, but we all know the level of committment to that seeking varies from trying really hard to blagging really hard. I would be interested to find out how they work out the really trying from the really blagging! It seems to me the people who are really trying are those either with a lot to lose from long term unemployment, to the couldn't care less because they've learned to manage on JSA.
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Posts (49)
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Posted in: Static rent arrears
I'm no expert but I would treat these arrears as any other debt would be treated. Social Landlords could take good practice from the private sector when it comes to debt collection, and be proactive rather than reactive. For example, I once got two credit card bill mixed up and paid the wrong bill, just two days later the bank were on the phone asking me not, could I pay, but when I was going to pay and how much I was going to pay. I am certain that if this sort of approach were taken towards arrears, tenants would soon learn that going into arrears was more hassle than it was worth!
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Posted in: Benefit levels
I belive that the current plan is for in the future to have the majority, if not all application and ocntact for benefit claimants to be online. Presumably this then means that internet access is no not longer considered as a luxury but a neccessity.......
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Posted in: Problem tenants
It's shameful that this happens and I do hope that you get a court date soon! However, it is just as likely to happen with rent paying tenants as with DSS tenants!
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Posted in: Need to set up a Westminster Federation for Tenant's and Resident's - Leaseholders
Your landlord should be able to help. Speak to your tenant inviolvement officer. You may be required to meet certain criteria - eg become constituted etc in order to qualify
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Posted in: Overcrowding/Transfer Request
I agree with the first poster- if a family deliberately give up an adequately sized property in order to mov into one far too small for their needs in the same area then surely there can be no other conclusion than deliberate overcrowding. It may be different if, for example, they were about to be evicted from the larger property or if it were in another area.