Housing Feasibility Study

The housing feasibility study looked at:

• the condition of the houses
• financial issues
• housing and strategic policy objectives
• tenant and other stakeholder views

 

The study carried out:

• policy review
• consultation programme
• environmental impact study
• stock condition survey
• financial analysis
• valuation
• option appraisal

 

Consultation programme

A tenants survey was carried out between October and December 1999.

A Community Conference was held in March 2000 to give tenants and community organisations information on the housing feasibility study and the opportunity to ask questions. The conference also gave the opportunity to discuss some of the issues, which emerged from the tenants survey.

There were also opportunities for tenants to attend three different series of evening meetings and surgeries with the Council and Waverley, the Independent Tenants Advisor.

Information sheets were sent to all tenants throughout the study period both to inform tenants and to give the opportunity, again, for tenants to make their views known.

 

Key findings

Consultation programme

• Very high level of tenant satisfaction with home and housing services

• Tenant service priorities are repairs, complaints, lets and consultation

• Investment priorities are new homes, adaptations and structural repairs

• Need to build tenant involvement

• Tenants made it very clear to the Council that even with higher rent increases they did not want to transfer to an alternative landlord but wanted to remain with the Council

 

Stock condition survey

• In general, the houses are in good condition with a low level of catch-up repairs required

• Areas with highest investment needs are Buchan, Banff & Buchan, Formartine and Kincardine & Mearns

• There are two main investment peaks, i.e. when the majority of work is required to be carried out on the houses. These are in 19-20 years and 29-30 years time

 

Other key findings

• The environmental impact study highlighted a low risk to Aberdeenshire

• The Aberdeenshire standard was agreed. This is where the Council would hope to improve your house over and above its existing condition. This principally would be to increase the energy efficiency of your house

 

Financial issues

• If the Council were to continue as they currently are, i.e. rent rises of Inflation + 1%, then there would be a shortfall in meeting the total cost of delivering the housing service and maintaining the houses to the current level over the next 30 years

 

Option appraisal

The options were full stock transfer, partial stock transfer and full stock retention. We assessed each option by looking at:

• impact on housing objectives, including increased tenant participation impact on other Council objectives

• financial appraisal

• impact on staff

• impact on partner organisations

• other / wider impacts

• risk factors

• views from consultation programme

 

Conclusions from the housing feasibility study

• Partial transfer has no advantages to either the Council or tenants

• Retention, as status quo, is not a viable option

• Retention is only possible if a robust plan can be developed which will pay for repairs and improvements for the full 30 year period - Retention Plus

• The Social Work & Housing Committee agreed in October 2000 to examine the Retention Plus option further

If Retention Plus could not be made to work for the 30 year period the Council would have had to move onto a more detailed consideration of the transfer option.

 

The way forward for Aberdeenshire - Retention Plus Option

The Retention Plus option was explored in greater detail, including:

• how we could pay for repairs and improvements

• consulting with tenants and Scottish Government on the acceptability of increasing rents to pay for repairs and maintenance

• possibility of securing control of social housing grant by consulting with the Scottish Government, Scottish Homes, and local Housing Associations

• increased tenant involvement in the decisions, which affect the management of their homes

• evaluating the likely impact on the Council of the proposed changes in the new Housing (Scotland) Act, in particular changes to Right to Buy rules

 

Retention Plus action plan

An action plan was developed to allow the Council to retain ownership of the housing stock. The main points of the plan are:

Finance and rents

• implementation of 30 year business plan. The plan will be three years in detail but run for a 30 year period

• rent increases of inflation +3% for first five years and then inflation +2% for the remaining 25 years. Also introduce three year rent guarantee periods

 

Repairs and improvements to stock

• establish repairs and improvement fund to meet future investment needs

• agreed principles for stock iImprovements and Aberdeenshire standard including tenant involvement

• identify priorities from stock condition survey

• pass information to local offices to assess detail and re-prioritise accordingly

• meet with tenant groups to discuss tenant priorities for their area and re-prioritise if required

• report to Area Committees to approve stock improvement programme

 

Tenant involvement

• increased tenant involvement

• introduction of Tenants Charter, including information on housing Revenue Account (HRA) income and expenditure three-year rent guarantees

• repairs and improvement fund

• principles for stock improvements

• increased tenant participation

The Charter will be developed in conjunction with tenants and will be sent to all tenants every three years.

 

What happens next?

The Social Work & Housing Committee met on 12th January 2001 and agreed to accept the action plan for Retention Plus. Therefore we will keep ownership of the housing stock for the foreseeable future. Implementation of the action plan will begin immediately.

We would like to encourage as many tenants as possible to become involved in the other aspects of the action plan, such as priorities for stock improvements, the Tenants Charter, increased tenant participation.

 

Want to participate?

We are committed to tenant participation. This means that we listen to what our tenants have to say. Throughout discussions on the future of our housing stock, tenants played a real and important part in the decision-making process. That is what tenant participation is all about.

But it does not stop there. Tenants and the Council both want to see high quality housing services across Aberdeenshire. As a tenant, you can influence decisions about your home, if you want to. Any tenant who wants more of a say can do so. That is tenant participation.

There are tenant groups in Aberdeenshire. These are groups of local tenants and residents who get together to form independent associations. They can represent the interests of all tenants in their areas and take local housing issues forward with us.

We work jointly with groups of tenants on housing matters affecting the whole of Aberdeenshire. We share information and ideas. Rents, allocations, anti-social behaviour ­ these are all on the table for discussion at the moment. Watch out for news in the tenants newsletter which will be delivered to every council tenant. Get in touch with anyone on the contact list if you would like to see a particular housing issue covered in the newsletter.

The Council and its tenants are working together towards a common goal ­ better housing conditions and better housing services throughout Aberdeenshire. We listened to our tenants on the future of the housing stock in Aberdeenshire. You can make sure you are listened to in the future. Tenant participation guarantees it.