Homes failing to meet standards
74 PROPERTIES DEEMED ‘A SERIOUS AND IMMEDIATE RISK TO HEALTH AND SAFETY’
THE number of council-owned homes failing to meet ‘decent’ government standards has risen in a Nottinghamshire borough.
The latest government figures reveal 133 properties owned by Broxtowe Borough Council failed to meet the Decent Homes Standard at the end of March 2020.
This was up from just two properties the year before.
A ‘non-decent’ home is defined as one that fails to meet the statutory safety standards, does not provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort, is not in a reasonable state of repair or does not have reasonably modern facilities.
However, only a small proportion of council homes in Broxtowe are not considered in a fit state to live in, according to this criteria - just 3 percent of the total number.
Elsewhere in Nottinghamshire, Ashfield was the only other council to report any non-decent properties - 12 in total, which is less than 1 percent of their total stock.
The number was also up from nine properties in March 2019.
Of the homes considered nondecent in Broxtowe, 74 were because of a category 1 hazard, which means the problem is a serious and immediate risk to a person’s health and safety, and the council has a legal duty to take action.
There were also 38 less serious instances where a home was not in a reasonable state of repair, and 21 council houses and flats without a reasonable degree of thermal comfort. In Ashfield there were seven properties not in a reasonable state of repair, and five without a reasonable degree of thermal comfort.
Broxtowe spent £148,000 on making non-decent homes decent in 2019/20, and £3.1 million preventing more homes from becoming non-decent in the first place.
It is estimated the council would need to spend at least a further £290,000 to bring all non-decent homes in the area up to standard £2,180 per property. Ashfield spent £45,000 on making homes decent and £4.2 million preventing further homes from becoming non-decent.
The council would need to spend a further £86,000 to bring all their houses and flats up to code, or £7,167 per home.
A spokeswoman for Broxtowe Borough Council said: “The council recently commissioned a 25 percent stock condition survey sample of its current stock.
“The result for the Decent Homes Standard has been based on the 25 percent sample surveys completed and then those results cloned and applied to the whole of the stock.
“The result was a total of 133 properties, equating to 3.02 percent of the stock, were found to be failing the Decent Homes Standard.
“The size of the new survey has given us valuable information on the current overall condition of our stock and led to the increase in this value.
“Affected properties will be checked and required work completed to ensure they meet the Standard.”
Councillor Tom Hollis, Portfolio Holder for Housing at Ashfield District Council, added: “Ashfield District Council takes the quality of its homes very seriously and will always look to exceed standards where possible.
“The council’s cabinet next week will commit to spending over £10m on thermal efficiency upgrades to its council homes. The council has also been successful in securing over £1m Green Homes Grant funding to improve the thermal efficiency rating of both social and private sector properties within the district.
“Ashfield District Council has around 6,800 properties and inevitably a small number of fixtures will eventually come to the end of their useful lifespan and require replacement.
“The few affected properties are either currently in the process of being included in modernisation programmes or are awaiting disposal. At Ashfield District Council, we are proud of our relationship with our tenants and we are always striving to make our services even better.”
Polly Neate, chief executive of charity Shelter, said it was “worrying the numbers are on the rise.”
She said: “Poor conditions like damp, mould or faulty heating can have a real impact on people’s physical and mental health.
“Social housing is desperately needed to end homelessness, but it has to be decent and fit for purpose.”
According to the English Housing Survey, 12 percent of dwellings in the social rented sector actually failed to meet the Decent Homes Standard in 2019/20. Despite this, homes in the private sector are much more likely to be non-decent than council-owned properties, with 23 percent of privately-rented homes classed as non-decent.