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Short on time? Thursday’s housing news in five minutes
A round-up of the top stories this morning from Inside Housing and elsewhere
Top story: Places for People sent out eviction notices by mistake
Giant housing provider Places for People has admitted it sent out eviction notices to some of its tenants by mistake.
It said 16 tenants at Hornbeam Court, a market rent development, in Milton Keynes were handed possession orders “prematurely”, before they had been told about their landlord’s plans to empty the block for an extensive refurbishment.
Places for People has promised to help all 43 affected tenants being moved out to find a new home and give them the option to return to Hornbeam Court once works are completed.
But Nigel Long, cabinet member for housing and regeneration at Milton Keynes Council, accused the association of “really poor practice”.
“Our customers’ safety and well-being are paramount to us and we are sorry for the confusion that had arisen,” Places for People said in a statement.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY
Private investors could ‘tackle’ annual shortage of 60,000 affordable homes
Long-term private investors could be the ones to help tackle the 60,000-home annual undersupply of affordable housing, consultancy Savills has said.
Around 46,000 affordable homes have been built a year in England since 2013, but Savills said that’s about 60,000 short of what is needed.
Savills believes that for-profit registered providers are becoming attractive options for institutional investors looking for a long-term interest in housing, thanks to the high demand, insulation from market volatility and ethical credentials.
There are now more than 50 for-profit providers registered with the Regulator of Social Housing owning more than 5,000 homes, up from five providers with fewer than 300 homes in March 2013.
Lunchtime long read
The big topic in this election may be Brexit, but the housing crisis remains a key issue for voters in several areas around the country. Inside Housing has travelled to the seats where housing might be what decides the result come mid-December.
Today we publish two constituency profiles in the series of five, one for Warwick and Leamington and another for Wantage in Oxfordshire. Yesterday, we also published a profile of west London’s Kensington.
READ THE WARWICK AND LEAMINGTON CONSTITUENCY PROFILE HERE
READ THE WANTAGE CONSTITUENCY PROFILE HERE
Quote of the day
“We must never believe so much in how wonderful we are that we lose sight of what we are here for. We must remember we are not superheroes, with capes flying, swooping in to help the poor.”
Sinéad Butters, chief executive of Aspire Housing and chair of PlaceShapers, discusses the need for housing association chief executives to retain humility.
In the papers
Picture: Getty
The Guardian runs a story on Jo Swinson’s repeated apologies for backing the coalition’s so-called bedroom tax in an interview with Andrew Neil last night. The Liberal Democrat leader said it “was not the right policy” and her party would reverse it.
Meanwhile, The Independent reports that a group of homeowners trapped in expensive mortgages will stage a protest outside the Financial Conduct Authority tomorrow.
And the Financial Times features an opinion piece from its editorial board calling for the next government to find “a permanent fix” to the housing crisis.
Local news
Picture: Getty
More rough sleepers in Ipswich are to be handed keys to their own homes as the council expands its Housing First programme, according to the Ipswich Star.
In Basildon, the local Echo reports that residents of the Vange Estate have concerns over Japanese knotweed spreading through their neighbourhood, as the invasive plant is known to damage building structures.
The big issues that impact the regeneration and delivery of social housingSPONSORED ARTICLE
